The Empire State Employment Resources for the Blind Board, on behalf of the New York State Preferred Source Program for New Yorkers who are Blind (NYSPSP), announced that Alphapointe team member Cornell Williams is the 2021 NYSPSP Employee of the Year.
Williams joined Alphapointe in 2015 and initially served as a machine operator and mail bag sorter. He has been promoted twice and is currently lead porter. He has become an expert on all the machinery at Alphapointe, making him vital to daily operations. When many employees were not able to come to work during the pandemic, Cornell stepped in and helped wherever he was needed.
Williams has served on Alphapointe’s Event Planning, Annual Coat Drive and Pandemic Food Drive committees. When Alphapointe was looking for ways to communicate better with its deaf/blind employees, he took it upon himself to take American Sign Language classes and become a Certified Sign Language Interpreter.
In his personal life, Williams serves as a chaplain at his church and volunteers at various community events and activities. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he volunteered his time to serve meals to people who were sick. Through this work, Williams contracted the virus and was hospitalized and later isolated from his family for a month. Never one to back down, after he regained his health, Williams went right back to the “frontlines” as an essential worker at Alphapointe and helping his community. He has been featured in the New York Post, Fox 5 as the “Hero of the Day” and in Dr. Oz’s “1 Good Thing” segment.
Williams’ work ethic and personal achievements make him an inspiration to everyone.