Celebrating Success!

Dreams Come True at Underwood Heights

We all dream of having a place of our own. For Tommy Sidoti, the fulfillment of this dream began with his desire for the independence and freedom that his own home would provide and grew to include the dreams and aspirations of three other men. Tommy had a difficult life growing up and found himself living in a very restricted environment. After working very hard to meet all of the goals set for him, Tommy was able to move to a less restricted environment, but found he had no place to go. Working with the Arc Otsego, Tommy looked at over twenty-five homes before finding the perfect home at Underwood Heights. However, his excitement at finding a home turned to dismay when in August of 2010, approval for the purchase of the house was delayed. With the support of Assistant Executive Director Pat Knuth, Tommy wrote a letter to the OPWDD Commissioner asking that the purchase be approved. That October, Tommy proudly attended the closing for the sale of the house and then moved to his new home.

Today, Tommy and his roommates, Mitch, Benarr, and Mike, have the opportunity to experience the exciting opportunities and challenges of negotiating the fine art of living together. Tommy enjoys having his own room and is very proud of everything he has accomplished. He currently works at The Arc Otsego's Vocational Training Center and dreams of taking a job at an animal sanctuary to take care of cats. Most importantly, Tommy has found his independence and his freedom.... read more

(Above: The Men of Underwood Heights; r: Tommy receives the keys to the house at the closing.)