Comop History Timeline 2022 Aug17 Web

1989 Community Options, Inc. was incorporated on February 9, 1989 to develop residential and employment supports for people with severe disabilities. 1990 The Americans with Disabilities Act passed. Its overall purpose is to make American Society more accessible to people with disabilities. 1990 Governor James Florio Announces he will close Johnstone in Bordentown, NJ. 1991 The first COI Business Advisory Council (COBAC) meeting was held in October of 1991. The focus of the COBAC was to recruit local business members within the community to help connect people with developmental disabilities to competitive employment. 1991 The Betty Pendler Award was first presented. 1992 The first four New Jersey homes were purchased. 1992 Burlington and Mercer County NJ offices were established to provide residential and employment support services to individuals with disabilities in New Jersey. COI believes there are four values critical to supporting individuals with disabilities and their families successfully: individual choice; customer satisfaction; person-centered planning; and economic empowerment. 1992 The Division of Developmental Disabilities closed the Johnstone Training and Research Center in New Jersey. 1992 Tim O’Donoghue becomes Chairman to the Board of Directors. 1993 COI contracts with Texas Department of Aging and Disabilities (DADS) for the Texas Homeliving (TxHML) and Home and Community Based Services(HCS) medicaid waiver programs. 1994 Community Options, Inc. of Southern Tier was established to provide residential and employment support services to individuals with disabilities in the Binghamton, New York area. 1994 The Pittsburgh office was established to provide residential and employment support services to individuals with disabilities in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 1995 An office in New York City was established to provide residential and employment support services to individuals with disabilities in all five boroughs of NYC and in Westchester County. 1995 COI’s first Pennsylvania home was purchased to help people to live independently in a community settings. 1995 The State of New Jersey closed down the North Princeton Developmental Center in 1995, with the very last of the individuals being removed in 1998. 1996 An office was established to cover the areas of Somerset County, NJ. It provides community-based options for residential and employment support services to individuals with disabilities and people with traumatic brain injuries living in the area 1996 A Southeast Pennsylvania office was established to provide residential and employment support services to individuals with disabilities living in the Southeast region of Pennsylvania. 1997 Princeton Daily Plan It opens first entrepreneurial business with rental offices and infrastructure comprised of persons with disabilities earning minimum wage or better. 1997 The first office in Nashville Tennessee established with the purchase of a large home functioning as a commercial entity. Plans underway to expand in Tennessee. 1997 Brooklyn NY office was established to provide support services to individuals with disabilities in Brooklyn, New York. 1997 The office in Dallas was established to provide residential and employment support services to individuals with disabilities living in (16) counties in the Northern Texas Region to include Dallas, Collin, Denton and other surrounding counties. 1997 El Paso TX office was established to provide residential and employment support services to individuals with disabilities in El Paso, Texas. 1997 The first home in Texas was purchased. 1998 The office of Amarillo was established to provide support services to individuals with disabilities in the Texas Panhandle. 1999 Vaseful opens, which is a a unique floral business which provides employment for people with disabilities in an integrated setting, operated by Community Options Enterprises. 1999 Community Options, Inc. of Albuquerque New Mexico was established to provide residential and employment services to individuals with disabilities in the Metro and Northeast Region. 1999 The first NY home was purchased in the city of Endicott. 1999 The Daily Plan It started in Morristown, NJ. The organization offers businesses small offices with conference space and low‑cost services, such as receptionist work, maintenance duties, filing and copying. 2000 Syracuse, NY office was established to provide residential and employment support services to individuals with Traumatic Brain Injury in the Syracuse, New York area. 2000 Western Center in Canonsburg PA closed. In 1992, the Western Center was the subject of a lawsuit brought by disability advocates against the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare; the lawsuit resulted in a settlement that permitted the state to move residents to community-based facilities. 2000 Dr. Clarence York and Robert Stack created The York Foundation to establish an endowment to further our effort and help empower individuals with disabilities. The Foundation seeks to assist individuals with disabilities in achieving their maximum potential by integrating independence, self-determination, and productivity into all facets of their lives. 2001 Tim Dunigan appointed as Chairman to the Board of Directors. 2004 The Santa Fe office opens to provide services in northeastern New Mexico. Staff meets with the individual, their family, and other supporting team members, to ensure that the individual’s service plans provide person-centered care, incorporating the person’s preferences accordingly. 2004 COI has been busy in Tennessee with a new service area in Cookeville. A new office building is purchased in Nashville. Tennessee continues to rely on Community Options to help move people from institutions into the community. 2005 The office in San Antonio Texas was established to provide residential and employment services to individuals with disabilities in San Antonio and surrounding areas. 2005 Due to expansion, a new office is purchased in El Paso, TX. 2006 The first home opened in San Antonio Texas. 2006 COI held it’s first annual national iMatter conference in Austin, TX. which examined best practices for employment for people with disabilities. 2006 New office building is purchased in Pittsburgh, PA. 2006 The Las Cruces New Mexico office building is purchased. It services the southwestern New Mexico communities. 2007 Community Options Enterprises grows with the opening of a third Daily Plan It office. The Daily Plan It, located in Moorestown is a complete office, conference & copy center. The Presents of Mind gift store located in Flanders, NJ is also purchased. 2007 The first home in South Carolina is purchased. 2007 Amarillo, Dallas & San Antonio, Texas offices are purchased. 2008 Presents of Mind a luxuriously appointed gift shop, opens for business. It is another business operated by COE that provides employment supports to people with disabilities. 2008 The School to Employment Program (STEP) opens to provide students with transferable vocational education and relevant social skill development as part of their Individualized Education Plan, improving future opportunities for competitive employment and/or post-secondary education. 2009 The first annual Cupid’s Chase 5K is held. In keeping with the Valentine’s Day theme, runners will wore T-shirts describing their relationship status: available or unavailable. Run with your heart this Valentine’s Day. 2009 Community Options, Inc. of Corpus Christi was established to provide residential and employment support services to individuals with disabilities in (18) counties in the Southern Texas Region. 2009 President and CEO Robert Stack, rings The NYSE Opening BellSM to commemorate the organization’s 20th anniversary of providing residential and employment support services to people with developmental disabilities. 2010 Community Options Amarillo officially adopted the McDonald Lake Park. The adoption of the park by COI will prove to be a valuable resource to the community as the park will be maintained by the organization and kept litter free on a daily basis. 2010 Mary Pat Christie, First Lady of New Jersey, visits the Daily Plan It in Morristown. 2011 COI visits the NASDAQ MarketSite in New York City’s Times Square to ring the opening bell. Community Options, alongside its corporate partners Withum Smith + Brown, Gunlocke Furniture and Dani Leather was joined by Senator Joe Kyrillos of New Jersey’s 13th Legislative District. 2011 The first home in Tennessee is purchased. 2012 The office in Lubbock Texas, was established to provide support services to individuals with disabilities in the area. 2012 NJ Governor Christie Announces he will close two institutions. 2013 New building is purchased in Wayne, NJ. for the Red Ribbon Academy. It is a state of the art program for the most medically fragile individuals. 2013 South Carolina Governor Nikki Halley visits one of our homes in Columbia. 2014 Community Options, Inc. Rings the Closing Bell at the New York Stock Exchange. 2014 First office is purchased in Philadelphia, PA. 2014 Vaseful purchases new location for its flower shop, in Edison, NJ. 2015 48th Governor of New Jersey, Thomas Kean is the recipient of Betty Pendler Award. 2015 The first operation to provide personal care, support services and vocational programs are opened in Arizona. 2015 The Rockville office was established to provide residential and employment support services to individuals with disabilities in Rockville, Maryland. 2016 Ogden UT office was established to provide support services to individuals with disabilities in Ogden, Utah. 2016 Community Options, rang both the Closing and Opening Bell at the New York Stock Exchange. 2017 United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Halley is the recipient of Betty Pendler Award. 2017 Community Options, Inc. Rings The NYSE Opening Bell. 2017 Community Options opened a new office in King of Prussia, PA. The new and professional office space will facilitate current operations, as well as provide the opportunity for future development and growth in the region. 2019 Community Options Enterprises grows with a second Vaseful location in Princeton, NJ. 2020 Department of Strategic Operations is inaugurated. 2020 Community Options opens the fifth Daily Plan It in Wayne, NJ. 2020 Lacie Parker is appointed Vice President for Pennsylvania. 2020 Greg Thoennes is appointed Regional Vice President for Arizona, New Mexico, Texas & Utah. 2020 Philip Lian, Chair of Community Options Enterprises, is dually appointed Chair of the York Foundation. 2021 James Buckley appointed as Treasurer to the Board of Directors. 2021 Megan Crowley receives the Betty Pendler award. 2022 Iowa first home purchased. 2022 Dorothy Goodwin Board Chair for COI.

A Brief History of Community Options, Inc.
A Timeline of Achievements. Revised August 2022