Red Mango Franchising Company, a Dallas-based company and parent of Red Mango Yogurt Café and Juice Bar, is donating its North Babylon, Long Island franchise to Easter Seals New York (ESNY) as part of its national initiative to encourage veteran franchise ownership and specifically to support Easter Seals New York’s veteran entrepreneurial training and internship initiative.

A ribbon cutting ceremony of the newly acquired Red Mango store located in the Sunset Plaza Shopping Center at 1184 Deer Park Ave., North Babylon, New York, will take place July 26 at 11:30 a.m. Representatives of Easter Seals New York, a subsidiary of Fedcap Rehabilitation Services, Red Mango, and The Town of Babylon are expected to attend and provide remarks.   

“This is an extraordinary opportunity for the veterans we serve in the Long Island area,” says Joe Giannetto, COO of Fedcap Rehabilitation Services and Easter Seals New York. “Through this donation, we will be able to set-up entrepreneurial training and internship programs on Long Island designed specifically for transitioning veterans who have an interest in owning and managing their own business. This Red Mango store will also be used as an extension of our Culinary Arts training program, and provide employment and training opportunities for people with disabilities.”

The Red Mango North Babylon store has been operating since 2011 and enjoys an annual gross sales revenue of $465,000. Red Mango Franchising Company plans to hand over the store, which cost in excess of $400,000 to build, with a zero balance, waiving all franchise fees including royalties and advertising normally associated with a franchise’s transfer of ownership.   

“We wanted to provide the opportunity for Easter Seals New York to create a thriving enterprise without debt or encumbrances,” says Craig Erlich, COO of Red Mango. “We are committed to an ongoing relationship with ESNY and will provide ongoing operational assistance and marketing support to the site after the transfer. We want to help Easter Seals make this project a national model for veteran support. And we chose Easter Seals New York because of the strength of its veterans related programming as well as its affiliation with Fedcap Rehabilitation Services, a national non-profit whose mission is to create opportunities for people with barriers to achieve economic independence.”