FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Press Release .pdf – June 06, 2014

PRINCETON, NJ – Prior to the Pocono 400 in Long Pond, PA on Sunday, Tom Burdick, a member of the Community Options family, will get to meet his favorite NASCAR racecar driver Jimmie Johnson.

Community Options, a nonprofit organization that provides housing and employment services to people with disabilities helped make his dream come true. Even though Tom is living and working on his own, he still keeps consistent contact with his job coach at Community Options. Last summer, he mentioned that he’s always wanted to go to a NASCAR race and meet Johnson. Burdick has been a fan of NASCAR for over 20 years.

His job coach, Donna Orr, connected with the Igdalsky family, who owns Pocono Raceway, and they set him up with two tickets for the Pocono 400 on Sunday, as well as premium accessible seating and pit pass tickets. He will also get to meet Johnson the morning of the race. He was ecstatic when he heard the news from Donna.

“I was like, ‘I love you. I love you forever. Whatever you want, I’ll do for you,’” said Burdick. “I was in shock. I couldn’t believe she was able to do that.”

Tom worked as a receptionist from 1998-2004 at the Daily Plan It in Morristown, NJ. The Daily Plan It is a complete office, conference and copy center that offers office rental space to a variety of businesses. It is owned and operated by Community Options giving people the opportunity to learn real job skills while making minimum wage or better. For the last 10 years, he has worked as a recruiting assistant at a company that rented space at the Daily Plan It. This tenant thought very highly of Tom and hired him a decade ago. Tom is also very active at his local church, where he serves as a board member.

Tom is also on the board of directors for Community Options, Inc. He lives in Morris County, NJ.

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For over 25 years, Community Options has developed housing and employment programs for people with disabilities. Currently the 5th largest non-profit in New Jersey, Community Options operates with a budget over $96 million and serves thousands of people with disabilities through 38 offices across 8 states. Providing advocacy assistance to empower people with disabilities, Community Options believes that all people –regardless of disability level – should live and work in the community with dignity, choice, and self-determination. A registered PVO with USAID, Community Options is also the pioneer of innovative programs for people with disabilities in the Middle East, Russia, and South America. Please visit our website at www.comop.org.