Senator Cory Booker concluded his annual summer tour of all 21 New Jersey counties with a Wednesday afternoon visit to the Special Olympics’ New Jersey headquarters in Lawrence Township.
Booker announced a $500,000 congressional award to Special Olympics New Jersey and delivered the check to the organization on the 21st stop of his six-day tour. The half a million dollars will go toward the operations of the center and its mobile health vehicle, which travels to Special Olympics events throughout the state to provide free medical screenings to its athletes.
Bill DePonte, Special Olympics New Jersey’s chief operating officer, led Booker through a tour of the building, which features a fitness center, gymnasium, and pickleball and basketball courts. Booker found competition during the tour when he played a quick game of cornhole against an athlete.
DePonte said that while most people think about the Special Olympics in terms of annual events like the summer games, it’s truly a 365-day operation, with about 270 events in New Jersey each year, from training to competitions.
Lawrence Mayor Patricia Hendricks Farmer, Mercer County Executive Daniel R. Benson, and Mercer County Commissioner Samuel T. Frisby toured the center with Booker.
“This is just very special to me, and it’s nice to be able to bring home taxpayer dollars and invest them in organizations,” Booker told the Globe. “The dividends of this can’t even be measured.”
Booker also announced a $500,000 award for the Warren County Habitat for Humanity earlier on Wednesday during the penultimate stop of his annual New Jersey tour. Booker crisscrossed the state with multiple stops per day during his road trip, including visits to a research farm and industrial areas across the state.
“This is an amazing state, and I’m in love with Jersey since, you know, growing up here, but [the tour] always deepens my love and expands my pride,” Booker said.