20th Anniversary Celebration of the Americans with Disabilities Act

Robert Stack, President and CEO of Community Options was invited to attend the 20th Anniversary Celebration of the Americans with Disabilities Act today at The White House. Here are some photos from the event as well as President Obama's speech from the celebration that took place on the South Lawn:


The White House


Robert Stack and Elizabeth Dole


Robert Stack and Governor Thornburgh


Patti Labelle performing at The White House

From the Newswire:

On Monday, July 26, President Obama will hold an event at the White House to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The President is expected to deliver remarks at the event. Invited guests include Cabinet officials, Members of Congress, grassroots leaders and Americans living with disabilities. The President’s remarks will be open press.

The event will include performances by Nathaniel Anthony Ayers, Patti LaBelle and Marlee Matlin, and remarks by Marca Bristo, President of Access Living, White House Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett and Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council Melody Barnes. Robert David Hall will introduce the President.

It was just over twenty years ago that Robert Stack, President and CEO of Community Options, Inc. founded his organization. For years, Stack had spent working at the state level on the institutional side of the human service field. Knowing there was a better and more inclusive way that people with disabilities could live, Stack started Community Options.

The organization is known today as the fastest growing national nonprofit that develops housing and employment supports for people with disabilities. With offices in thirty-two cities in nine states supporting thousands of people with disabilities with the help of over 2,500 employees, Stack has turned his dreams into reality.

“It is an honor to be invited to The White House to celebrate such tremendous accomplishments,” Stack said. “Advocates in our field have made great advances over the past twenty years and there is much more work left to do,” he added.

Nonprofit CEO to Commemorate 20th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act

On Monday, July 26, President Obama will hold an event at the White House to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The President is expected to deliver remarks at the event. Invited guests include Cabinet officials, Members of Congress, grassroots leaders and Americans living with disabilities. The President’s remarks will be open press.

The event will include performances by Nathaniel Anthony Ayers, Patti LaBelle and Marlee Matlin, and remarks by Marca Bristo, President of Access Living, White House Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett and Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council Melody Barnes. Robert David Hall will introduce the President.

It was just over twenty years ago that Robert Stack, President and CEO of Community Options, Inc. founded his organization. For years, Stack had spent working at the state level on the institutional side of the human service field. Knowing there was a better and more inclusive way that people with disabilities could live, Stack started Community Options.

The organization is known today as the fastest growing national nonprofit that develops housing and employment supports for people with disabilities. With offices in thirty-two cities in nine states supporting thousands of people with disabilities with the help of over 2,500 employees, Stack has turned his dreams into reality.

“It is an honor to be invited to The White House to celebrate such tremendous accomplishments,” Stack said. “Advocates in our field have made great made advances over the past twenty years and there is much more work left to do,” he added.

The celebration will take place on The White House South Lawn on Monday, July 26, 2010 at 5:30pm. Pre-Set 4:30 PM, Final Gather 5:00 PM, North Doors of the Palm Room. Reporters should enter through the North West gate on Pennsylvania Ave. Press who do not have a White House hard pass should send their full name, outlet, date of birth and Social Security number to media_affairs@who.eop.gov no later than Monday, July 26 at noon.

Daniel Vance - Nationally Syndicated Column

Daniel Vance, Columnist, recently wrote a column about David Shunkey and his entrepreneurial business, David's Peanut Butter Puppy Bites as featured in the Wall Street Journal!


By Daniel J. Vance


I hear dogs love them.

David Shunkey of Albuquerque, New Mexico, makes Peanut Butter Puppy Bites, which are crisp canine treats shaped to resemble dog bones. Like any upstart business owner would, Shunkey has been getting his small business off the ground, looking for markets, and refining his recipe. The only difference is this businessman has autism.

A National Institutes of Health website defines autism as causing “severe and pervasive impairment in thinking, feeling, language, and the ability to relate to others.” Its severity ranges over a wide spectrum.

“David is nonverbal,” said Heather Gooch, who is program manager of supportive employment with Community Options in Albuquerque. She spoke for Shunkey with his permission. “He knows sign language and can understand more than he can sign. We also read his facial expressions and body language, and he uses different sounds to communicate. He has a speech language pathologist on his team and they have developed a communication dictionary to document his sound and hand movements. So if there is someone new working with him, they know how to communicate with him.”

Community Options has an on-site job coach helping Shunkey with marketing, baking, and selling. His dog treats are all natural, and include whole wheat flour, unbleached white flour, corn meal, rolled oats, eggs, safflower oil, vanilla, and peanut butter.

“Currently, David bakes four to five dozen once or twice a week out of his kitchen at home,” said Gooch. “We're looking to get a commercial kitchen for him. So far, five businesses have taken on his biscuits.” He has the potential to bake up to 75 dozen per week. He sells them for five dollars a dozen to dog groomers, vets, and pet shops.

In his 50s, Shunkey grew up in an institution that had one staff member for every 30 clients, which unfortunately led to his developing some behavioral issues. Now he lives in a group home. Community Options has support staff for Shunkey and a therapist doing site analysis to make sure the kitchen stays safe.

Gooch said, “David really gets involved in the baking process.” With help, he has been pursuing FDA approval to market his baked goods to humans. Of course, if receiving this approval, his new food item likely wouldn't resemble dog treats and would have a different name. Gooch said FDA approval could come within three months.

Contact danieljvance.com. [Blue Valley Sod and Palmer Bus Service make this column possible.]

People with Disabilities and Business Ownership

Please click here to read an article from the Wall Street Journal published on Thursday, July 15, 2010 about people with disabilities and business ownership. The piece is written by Sarah Needleman.

Community Options supports David in our New Mexico location and we are very proud of this piece and David's entrepreneurial spirit to continue to be a business owner!!!

National nonprofit receives Housing and Urban Development grant to construct NJ’s first Green group home for people with disabilities

In January 2010, Community Options, a national nonprofit organization that develops homes and employment for people with disabilities announced that they would be working in partnership with Hopewell Township to develop the first green, sustainable group home for people with disabilities in New Jersey.

Recently, this project was deemed worthy of a grant through the Housing and Urban Development body that funds affordable housing projects across the country. The grant will permit the development of a group home for four persons with developmental disabilities. The home will be of a one-story design and will provide supportive services to assist the residents to live independently.

Plans call for the construction of this home to be LEED for Homes certified. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, provides standards for environmentally sustainable construction Project architecture and construction is being managed by Princeton Design Guild (PDG). Environmentally friendly from start to finish, additional project details call for the disassembly of an existing large barn, relocation and renovation of a smaller barn, dismantling of the original farm house and construction of a new sustainable Community Options home.

“Being awarded this grant to construct a sustainable group home in New Jersey for persons with disabilities is beyond my wildest dreams,” says, Robert Stack, President and CEO of Community Options. “Our organization has been working for years to become more environmentally correct and this is one of amazing things we are able to do because of our vision; our vision has become a reality,” he added.

Picture Caption - Artist Rendering of the home to be constructed

Four years ago, Community Options, a national nonprofit organization that has been developing supports for people with developmental disabilities since 1989, started the iMatter Surf Camp for Children with Autism. The first one-day, free camp was held at Cupsogue Beach in Westhampton, New York. The first camp had 22 children participate. The camp was so successful that each subsequent year the camp has been held, it has significantly grown. In 2009, the camp had over 300 people participate from all over the country.

The camp is one day and free and the organization provides lunch to all that participate. This year, registration will begin at 9:30am following a brief prayer service and song performance in loving memory of Kristen Bednar; the camps lead volunteer who passed tragically in a snowmobile accident in January. Following the service, children will be paired up with their volunteers for the day and start surfing. The children are assigned a one-to-one volunteer who they surf tandem with all day. With a quick break for lunch, the children are always eager to get back in the water and surf until the day wraps up between 4pm-5pm.

The camp has become so popular that businesses all across the country have jumped on board to become sponsors. This year, the camp has received support from thirteen businesses.

Sponsors are:

Cancos Tile
O'Brien Drywall Unlimited, Inc.
Birch Lane Elementary School
Global Surf Industries
LIParentSource.com
Carolina Pad
Boogie Wipes
Episencial
Care4Hire
Fourth Wall Events
Converge Coworking
Fifth Room Creative
Dynamic Drape and Decor

“We are so proud of the iMatter Surf Camp and what it has become,” says, Robert Stack, President and CEO of Community Options. Stack indicates that the camp has taken on a life of its own and that people are incredibly pleased with the day they are offered to have their children positively included in their community and with their peers.

“Global Surf Industries is very proud to be able to support iMatter Surf Camp. Our company mantra is life is better when you surf and you can see the personification of this every time we attend one of these events,” says Ed Gerbino of Global Surf Industries.

Global Surf Industries has become an in-kind sponsor to the camp by donating foam boards to Community Options that the children can use at the camp.

Another in-kind sponsor of the camp is Cancos Tile. Cancos has been involved with the camp since its inception and they provide the hundreds of the very popular t-shirts that are made every year.

“We couldn't be more proud than to be sponsoring the surf camp. It is a tremendous day for us to be able to give a little back to the community and help out in a special way for this cause,” says Mark Valva, President of Cancos. Valva says the expressions and feelings that are created as a result of the camp makes it even more of a spectacular day.

Kim Walls, CEO of Episencial, a Los Angeles-based company has sent thousands of organic sunscreen samples for all the participants of the surf camp. Walls said, “At Episencial we believe in the developmental benefits of touch and play. Our all natural formulas are designed to enhance these experiences, helping to create healthy grooming rituals that serve children throughout their lives.”

Some of the sponsors utilize the camp as a way for their employees to volunteer in the community and there are volunteers that have been involved with the camp since it started. Jeff Guberman, President of Fourth Wall Events and Dynamic Drape and Décor says,” We are thrilled to help Community Options with the iMatter Surf Camp. We believe that helping the community is an important responsibility of any business. When you see the look of happiness on the faces of the children, you know that it is all worth it.”

One sponsor company is thrilled to be a sponsor of the event because of what the message of the organization is. “"Here at Little Busy Bodies, Inc, we believe that all people should have the opportunity to excel and be the best person they can be. Community Options camps bolster self-confidence and empower people with disabilities to be all that they can be in their day-to-day lives; we are proud to support such strong ideals,” says, Julie Pickens, CEO of Little Busy Bodies, Inc.

The iMatter Surf Camp for Children with Autism will be taking place on Saturday, August 14, 2010 from 9:30am-4:00pm at Cupsogue Beach in Westhampton, NY.

For more information about the camp, please visit the website or you can fan the camp on Facebook. There is a press pass required for this event and to obtain a press pass, please contact Jessica Guberman at jessica.guberman@comop.org or 973-390-0357.

Petty Cash Gets Serious

This is an article that Robert Stack, President and CEO was interviewed for with American Express - Inside Edge related to Petty Cash. It was written by Karen Bannan.

Community Options has 2,500 employees who work with thousands of developmentally disabled people. In many cases, employees live alongside their charges in group homes managed by the Mount Olive, N.J.-based nonprofit. As part of that care, it’s not unusual for an employee to run to the supermarket for milk or pay a pizza delivery person, both of which require cash.

That’s why every one of Community Options’ more than 150 group homes has a petty cash account, a locked box with anywhere from $200 to $1,000 inside. It’s important for the three or four employees who co-manage each facility to have access to cash, explains Robert Stack, the organization’s president and CEO. “A local ice cream store is going to want paper money.”

While petty cash might be a forgotten concept at larger companies, for mid-size enterprises such as Community Options, it’s still a key part of running the business. To protect what could be large sums of money from being lost or stolen, companies need to have strict policies in place.

Added together, Community Options’ petty cash accounts total more than six figures, which is why the company uses multiple policies and practices to protect it, including requiring receipts for purchases, adhering to a strict accounting process and performing several types of audits.

Such restrictions make for extra work, but it’s worth it. Business owners may be reticent to police employees, but failing to do so can have serious consequences, says Alan Carsrud, a professor who holds the Loretta Rogers Chair of Entrepreneurship at Ryerson University in Toronto. “Any entrepreneur always has to be thinking, ‘What happens if we don’t take care of business and we end up on the front page of our local paper? What will the headline read?’ ”

Petty cash problems typically start out as simple mistakes but can quickly spiral into something much more dangerous, says James Ratley, president of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, an Austin, Texas, group that specializes in anti-fraud training and education.

“Companies can definitely fall prey to internal fraud, and it happens more often than you would think,” Ratley says. “They believe the word ‘petty’ in the phrase ‘petty cash.’ They have no idea how much money is at stake or how long this kind of theft can continue if left unchecked.”

To read this entire article, click here.