FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Press Release .pdf

PRINCETON, NJ – At 10 a.m. on Wednesday, April 2, 2014 New Jersey’s 48th Governor, Thomas Kean, will visit the Presents of Mind gift shop in Flanders, New Jersey before touring a Community Options, Inc. group home and the Daily Plan It in Princeton.

Community Options, Inc. is a national nonprofit headquartered in Princeton, NJ that is dedicated to providing employment and housing support to people with developmental disabilities.

Presents of Mind, an enterprise of Community Options, Inc., is a boutique-style gift shop located at the Mall at 206, on Route 206 South in Flanders, NJ. It is an entrepreneurial business that provides job training and employment to individuals with developmental disabilities. Presents of Mind employs several adults with disabilities as retail associates. They work with cross-trained employment specialists who have experience in both retail and job training. All of the functions of a typical business are incorporated into the training program at Presents of Mind, including sales, inventory, maintenance, and design.

In 2010, the town of Princeton donated the group home at 301 North Harrison Street. The building was originally a one-story home with two bedrooms. Community Options, Inc. renovated it in 2012, using a 0% loan from the Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency. The home now has four bedrooms.

The Daily Plan It is a complete office, conference and copy center that offers beautifully furnished office rental space or virtual tenancy to a variety of businesses. Some of the services provided to the tenants include professional receptionist services, clerical support, high-speed color copying, graphic design for branding and stationery as well as on-site concierge services including dry cleaning pickup and delivery. Employees receive valuable work experience in areas such as customer service, inventory management, quality and database management, as well as facilities maintenance. The Daily Plan It has locations in Morristown, Princeton and Moorestown, NJ and Dallas, Texas. The Princeton Daily Plan It is located at 707 Alexander Road in Princeton.

On May 8, Community Options will be celebrating their 25th anniversary at Morven Museum in Princeton, NJ. The nonprofit will also be honoring Governor Kean for his service to people with disabilities during his time in office. Community Options is thankful for the support of New Jersey’s 48th Governor, Thomas Kean.

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For 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. CEO available for comment.