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June 24, 2019 |  Austin American Statesman

Governor Greg Abbott has no pity for persons with disabilities. Paradoxically, he is the only governor in the United States who has to use a wheelchair. Thirty-five years ago, while he was out for a run, an oak tree cracked and landed on him. Governor Abbott never wanted any special treatment because of his disability. He lives his life as an example for every other person with disabilities.

Earlier this month, he signed Senate Bill 753 authored by John Raney, R-College Station, and Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston. This “new” law mandates that every Texas worker regardless of disabilities will earn at least minimum wage.

Nationally, there is an antiquated law passed in 1938 called the “Fair” Labor Standards Act section 14 c. It has maintained a loophole allowing persons with disabilities to be paid as little as two cents per hour. It was established based on “levels of productivity” and enables contractors to exploit people with disabilities.

Governor Abbott, who understands, empathizes but has no pity for people with disabilities, believes that everyone is entitled to a fair wage. He was prodded by a millennial with Down syndrome to sign the bill, but it could be any one of his cohorts with disabilities such as autism, cerebral palsy or intellectual disabilities. Some may say that this was an easy decision. Let me assure you, this is an anomaly and I commend the governor for his fortitude.

In “progressive” states like New York, legislators are attempting to manipulate the process to keep the sub-minimum wage. They and many other states are pushing governors to keep wages for persons with disabilities at wages below minimum. Again, the argument is that it is based on levels of productivity.

Governor Abbott knows this is absurd. People with disabilities should be compensated the same as anyone else. Besides, if people were paid based on levels of productivity, there would be a lot of people in Washington making 25 cents a week.

Stack is president and CEO of Community Options, a national nonprofit supporting persons with disabilities with offices in Austin.

May 27, 2019 | centraljersey.com

Haldeman Subaru was able to share the love with a generous gift to the Princeton non-profit Community Options.

The $30,116 gift was raised by the Hamilton Township dealership through the Share the Love campaign organized by the national company Subaru of America.

“We are very excited that we are able to provide that level of support to a cause that is so worthy,” said Greg Hritz, General Manager at Haldeman Ford and Subaru. “Almost every dollar raised goes to the support of people in need, in addition what I like about the Community Options program most of all is that it takes folks who were previously in institutions from tax consumers to taxpayers. They feel fulfilled because they have a job and contribute to society. This organization is just a wonderful cause.”

The dealership raised the funds this year by donating $250 for every new vehicle purchased or leased from Nov. 15, 2018 to Jan. 2, 2019.

The more than $30,000 raised will directly help support people with disabilities, according to Community Options officials.

The non-profit’s mission is to develop housing and employment for individuals with developmental disabilities.

Community Options maintains operations not only in New Jersey but in Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, Maryland, South Carolina and Texas with offices also in Nashville and the Empire State Building, according to officials.

“Robert Stack (President and CEO of Community Options) and I went to college together,” Hritz said. “When he started Community Options 30 years ago, I was there at the kitchen table when the organization started, as a dealership we are very exited about working with Community Options, but personally I am very proud of what Robert has done with this organization.”

He said they believed the dealership could raise more than $30,000 for this year’s campaign.

“The number raised is based on the number of cars we sell and every year we try to sell more. Last year the contribution was $23,000. This year eclipsed $30,000 and hopefully next year will start with a four,” Hritz reported.

He said the Share the Love campaign is a great partnership between the dealership, Subaru of America, and a local charity.

“It just does not get better. You have a big corporation that preaches giving back to the community and we have a dealership that is involved with preaching the same thing. Together it works just wonderfully,” Hritz said.

Scott Haldeman, President of Haldeman Ford and Vice President of Haldeman Subaru, explained that one of the best parts about being a Subaru dealer is that they have this event where the dealership can support local charities.

“It is a sales event that has nothing to do with selling a price, but about ways we can help as a member of the community,” he said. “It is very unusual for that to be the case in the car and retailing business. It is just great when it gets to come to fruition and the money we have raised goes to a good cause. This is just a wonderful experience.”

Haldeman said the dealership plans on being involved with Community Options for the years to come.

“Anytime you can better someone’s life and we can see it directly through our partnership with Community Options, it is just the best feeling,” he said.

The Subaru of America Share the Love event has been running for the past eleven years.

According to Subaru of America officials, Subaru and its retailers have donated a grand total of $140 million since the Subaru Share the Love Event began in 2008.

May 24, 2019 | centraljersey.com

I never intended to go to the Community Options fundraising dinner on Thursday, May 9, under the big white tent on the lawn of McCarter Theatre.

Years ago, I adopted a curmudgeon stance towards fundraisers, when I declared my boycott of all “typical” fundraising dinners that for the most part are: too noisy, too hot, too cold, too little food served, too late, too dark (although at my age that is a positive), too much blaringly loud dance music and too few (if any) dance partners. I preferred to give small presents instead of my presence.

And, then, came the email from my longtime friend Judy McCartin Scheide, who asked me to be her guest at the benefit for the Princeton-based Community Options Inc., celebrating 30 years of providing residential and employment support for people with severe disabilities.

Eager to catch up with and impossible to say no to Judy, who was a sponsor of the event, I decided I had to take an antihistamine for my allergy to fundraisers and attend. It turned out to be the best medicine I ever took. In spite of all of the anticipated negatives, the evening became an occasion of memorable joy rather than drudgery, because of one essential reason – Judy Scheide.

Unbeknownst to any of the organizers of the dinner, unbeknownst to Judy’s friends at her table, and unbeknownst to Judy’s Executive Manager Anne O’Neill, Judy became the star of the dinner one minute before Community Options Founding President and CEO Robert Stack was about to say goodnight to the crowd.

She stood up and was asked to come to the podium to say a few words. Judy delivered two sentences about the “phenomenal” mission of Community Options, an organization that brings purpose, dignity and happiness to those with severe disabilities, and then she closed her remarks with a simple declaration. She would donate $100,000 to Community Options – but only as a matching grant. If Community Options would raise $100,000 of “new” money over the course of one year (any money raised that night of the benefit would not count), she would match it with another $100,000.

The dramatic announcement was reminiscent of the 1950’s TV show, “The Millionaire.” John Beresford Tipton Jr. would give out a million dollars each week in the form of a cashier’s check delivered by his executive secretary Michael Anthony to a shocked and deserving recipient.

“No one knew what I was going to do – I had no idea I was going to do what I did – until the last minute. I decided that I had to shake up the fundraising – be an impetus to get others to contribute … to make a real impact for this organization and its extremely worthwhile and humanitarian mission,” said Judy.

After the dinner, Judy said she saw nothing extraordinary in giving this gift. “It’s what I do – make donations to worthwhile causes…. It’s my job, the best profession imaginable with exceptional rewards.”

The how and how much and to whom – the story behind her storied profession – goes back to her marriage to the nationally renowned philanthropist, scholar and musician Bill Scheide, an oil heir who died at the age of 100 in 2014. She is carrying on a commitment to philanthropy – the value that brought them together and sustained their 11-year marriage.

“Bill’s training for becoming a first-rate philanthropist came from his father,” Judy said. “John Scheide instilled in Bill the responsibility to give back to society. He wanted Bill to understand that the considerable amount of money he would inherit did not really belong to him. Bill was to be the vehicle for distributing the money to charitable nonprofits of his choice. … Bill took that message to heart. Although most famous for his commitment to Civil Rights causes (particularly through the NAACP Legal Defense Fund), Bill was passionate about supporting local humanitarian causes.”

The Scheide Fund, founded shortly after Bill, class of 1936, graduated from Princeton University, was the source of hundreds of millions of dollars of donations. Anne O’Neill, who became executive director of the Scheide Fund in 2007, said the gifts reflected Bill’s passions – civil rights, social justice, education, environment, health and disabilities, poverty relief, the arts and religion/ethics.

According to the terms of Bill Scheide’s will, said Judy, the fund ceased to exist upon his death, when the money was disbursed to his children, relatives and close associates. The will, however, also specified the creation of Judy Scheide’s current job. He bequeathed a modest amount of money in trust to Judy Scheide, who was to use the interest from the principal to fund donations to tax-exempt institutions or organizations, selected by Judy. Carrying on the humanitarian and social justice values that sparked their love and respect for one another, Judy now makes gifts to support the various causes she and Bill championed during Bill’s life.

“There are so many crucial needs in society that I wish I had more money to distribute. I do what I can – even the smaller amounts of support are important because they inspire others to give – thus the value of a matching grant,” said Judy, who learned the benefits of matching grants when she worked as an associate director of campaign relations at Princeton University in 1984.

The week I connected with Judy at the Community Options dinner was a snapshot into the life of a hyperactive philanthropist. Her week included a Centurion Ministries event to support its mission to vindicate the wrongfully convicted; a special dinner at McCarter Theatre celebrating Emily Mann, McCarter’s artistic director and the director of David Hare’s “Skylight”; a Planned Parenthood luncheon, taking on particular relevance in light of the new controversial anti-abortion legislation in Alabama and Georgia; and the graduation ceremony for Westminster Choir College – an institution Bill Scheide, a scholar of classical music and Johann Sebastian Bach, whole heartedly championed.

Judy worked her magic on me. I am about to make my first donation to Community Options. I did inform her, however, that curmudgeon Pam still would rather pay NOT to play at a fundraising dinner – unless she were planning another dramatic episode of “The Millionaire,” Princeton-style.