The Buddy Project News

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For Immediate Release

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Contact Ericzimmerman@thebuddyproject.org or Steven.Clark.Cunningham@gmail.com

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December 22nd 2020-Frederick, Maryland: Poemenclature, The Buddy Project, and BP Racing for Autism will Team up for the NASRA Snead Competition Design Truck Series whose season starts on January 8th 2020.  It will be streamed Live on RACECRAFT Television and over streaming services including YouTube and Facebook.  The 15 Race Season is the second season of the popular North American Racing Series on iRacing.  “This partnership will both support a good cause for autism and mental health and increase access to the award-winning books of Dr. Cunningham, which are educational and fun.  His latest book, Your Body Sick and Well: How Do You Know, is a great book especially for those kids who are into science.  The Buddy Project will receive donated books to help raise funds for the organization,” said Eric D. Zimmerman, Owner and Founder of the BP Racing for Autism Team and Technical Director of The Buddy Project Inc.  Eric adds, “We hope we can really make a difference getting this literature out to people.” 

According to Dr. Cunningham, “Both books in the “Poemenclature” series, Dinosaur Name Poems and Your Body Sick and Well, are for all ages and readers:  Younger kids really seem to like the rhythm and rhyme and vibrant, beautiful  illustrations - done by two local but well-known artists - while older youth and adults appreciate the plays on words and the more in-depth content.  It is a pleasure for me to donate these books.  Proceeds from all the books go to supporting the mental and physical health of children.”

About the Poemenclature series and Steven Clark Cunningham, MD, FACS

“Poemenclature” is a word Cunningham invented, combining “poem” and “nomenclature” (the naming of things), since each he uses accessible poems to entertain and educate - about the body and about dinosaurs in these two books.  Your Body, Sick and Well: How Do You Know? (the newest book in the series, just released this year), won first place in the CIPA EVVY awards contest and the gold medal from the Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards and was a finalist in the National Indie Excellence Awards. Douglas Florian, author Dinothesaurus (2009), a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year, commented that Cunningham’s book is  “loaded with humor, facts, and fancy … Enjoy it!”  Author: Dinosaur Name Poems (Three Conditions Press, 2009), was Cunningham’s first full-length book of children’s poetry, and the first in the Poemenclature series, and won the 2009 Moonbeam Award in both the Children’s Poetry and the Spanish Language categories.

Dr. Cunningham is a pancreatic and hepatobiliary surgeon at Saint Agnes Hospital in Baltimore, and a widely published poet.  Cunningham comments, “My three passions are the study of medicine and surgery, the written word, and education, and this book brings all three together.” Author proceeds go to charities that support children’s physical and mental health.

About BP Racing for Autism

BP Racing is dedicated to provide opportunities for people with autism and other developmental disabilities with the same access and chances as people without disabilities.

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Not Just our “Vision”, Our Mission!!

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How do we work?

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We provide volunteer activities to people with disabilities to work alongside volunteer mechanics and other drivers to learn mechanical skills, or even driving an actual stock car in competition.  We train individuals in either track through our program.  Our funding comes from support from The Buddy Project, and other sponsors.  We work as a typical race team in those ways.

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How did we become in existence?

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Eric D. Zimmerman, Founder and Technical Director of The Buddy Project (hence the name “BP” Racing [although they are separate entities]), has a strong passion for racing.  Eric grew up with a disability that no much was known about, “high-functioning autism,” and because of this and his parents’ finances, as well as where he grew up, there were no opportunities for him to start racing.  It was not until the age of 28 that he decided he could go racing with the help of some friends and volunteers of The Buddy Project. 

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Why BP Racing for Autism?

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Eric strives to provide opportunities that were not available to him as a child, to other preteens and teens that are growing up today and have an interest in racing.  Also, Eric strives to make this program a socializing program for people to meet new friends as well as draw new fans and drivers into the sport of stock car racing. 

 

About The Buddy Project, Inc

 

The Buddy Project is an organization headquartered in Frederick, MD that is dedicated to helping disabled and low-income individuals.

The Buddy Project is the only technology organization for the disabled in Maryland, and has already served more than 500 individuals since its founding in 2007. Our service provides refurbished computers to those who are intellectually and developmentally disabled, and these computers are set up specifically for people with disabilities. The Buddy Project is an increasingly vital part of the disabled community and plans to be an important advocate and educational resource to the general public about disabled individuals. In fact, this is a dire need in the disabled community due to the misconception that disabled people cannot learn to use technology.

Once the client receives the refurbished computer, there is a training curriculum that is covered with each and every client to help them better understand their computer and how they work. We work with the client for as long as he or she is apart of The Buddy Project. Eventually the client will be assigned a Program Manager that will work with him/her on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. Furthermore, all computers are maintained by The Buddy Project and are switched out about every two years in order to allow the client the best technology experience possible.  In 2016, we created the “e-Xcel” program that bridges the gap that often is that of asset and income limited people, but did not qualify for our traditional The Buddy Project program.  The program is now being streamlined to help as many people as we can.   We also started a Autism Advocacy Speaking program in 2015 where Eric D. Zimmerman goes to Autism Advocacy Support Groups around the world speaking on what it was like to grow up on the Autism Spectrum to parents of adolescents and preteens with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)