Make this holiday season merrier for the individuals we serve by giving a gift to our Annual Appeal!
Our Mission is To help people with developmental disabilities work, live in homes of their choice, and enjoy community life. While the initial two facets of our mission receive support from state and federal funding, the third pillar—integral to Opportunity House—relies solely on grants and donations from our generous supporters like you. Contributions received through the Annual Appeal will help us in enhancing our mission, enabling us to bolster these unfunded programs and strengthen our services.
As we marked our 60th year of operation this past year, we provided services to 185 individuals. Unfunded programs form a vital component of Opportunity House, with numerous participants engaging in our Recreation Activities, Special Olympics Program, and Learning For Life Program. Every donation, regardless of its size, contributes to the enrichment of these programs by expanding available resources, thus enabling us to serve a greater number of individuals with disabilities. Continue reading to learn more about these programs!
We thank you for your support in promoting equal opportunities and facilitating the success of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Wishing you a joyous holiday season!
As we marked our 60th year of operation this past year, we provided services to 185 individuals. Unfunded programs form a vital component of Opportunity House, with numerous participants engaging in our Recreation Activities, Special Olympics Program, and Learning For Life Program. Every donation, regardless of its size, contributes to the enrichment of these programs by expanding available resources, thus enabling us to serve a greater number of individuals with disabilities. Continue reading to learn more about these programs!
We thank you for your support in promoting equal opportunities and facilitating the success of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Wishing you a joyous holiday season!
Recreation program
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The mission of the Recreation Department is to allow the clients we serve the opportunity to participate in leisurely activities of their choice. These activities are designed to promote the different dimensions of health and wellness and to encourage physical, social, emotional, and cognitive growth. In the last year, over 90 individuals have participated in our 'Rectivities,' including participants from Sycamore, DeKalb, Cortland, Sandwich, and Genoa.
Out & About Activities are also a large part of our Recreation Department. This year, we visited the Adler Planetarium, the Morton Arboretum, a Kane County Cougars game, Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra Concerts, trips to Round1 Arcade, and much more! The Rec Department is known for putting on a great party! We go all out to make our holiday parties and big gatherings an unforgettable experience. These parties typically see ~100 participants from not only Opportunity House, but also many friends from the community and other agencies that serve individuals with disabilities. Just this last year, we participated in the Pumpkin Fest Parade, threw a Watermelon Explosion event for clients, staff, and their families, threw a Winter Wonderland Party, a Halloween Dance, and a Totally Tiki Luau! Our participants also love giving back! Our Aktion Club participants work hard on monthly projects that benefit us as well as the community. Some of our Aktion Club projects include |
collecting plastic caps and lids which were sent and made into a picnic table that now lives near our main building, volunteering to help keep bikers hydrated during the "Biking with Beanzie" ride, and most recently, we created homemade wreaths to be donated! |
OH athletics
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Our Opportunity House Athletics program offers 7 individual and team sports year round, each sport played in their respective season. The sports our clients participate in are basketball, volleyball, bocce, soccer, softball, bowling, and golf. Over 60 athletes participate in at least 1 sport, with many participating in multiple throughout the year! In addition to physical fitness and athletic skill, our athletes have shown enhanced social skills, cognitive functioning, and increase self-confidence.
We host and travel to exhibition games before competing in the Special Olympics Illinois (SOILL) regional tournaments in hopes to qualify for state tournaments. In 2023, 31 athletes qualified for the state tournament, with one even bringing home a gold medal for their Bocce skills! 13 of those athletes were on the basketball team and 8 on the volleyball team, the other 10 were individual sports |
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learning for life
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An important aspect of our Community Day Services (CDS) program is the Learning for Life classes. Throughout the year, the individuals we serve have the choice to take classes that are designed to improve fine and gross motor skills, cognitive ability, and independent daily living. Some of the classes offered this past year were The Science of Transportation, Fiber Arts & Textiles, How the Government Works, Cooking: Making Healthy Choices, Styles of Painting, and more! Not only does this significantly help the individuals we serve, they also eagerly await to take classes. This year, we had 78 participants take at least 1 class!
After the art classes where students are working on improving their fine and gross motor skills and creativity are completed, we host an art show to display the incredible talents of everyone in the organization. Attendees come to see the art their loved ones have made throughout the year and to enjoy the company of their classmates and companions. This event has grown into a wonderful gathering that has shown to bring people from all walks of life together to support their loved one, the individuals we serve. Once the Learning for Life classes are completed and students have proven to have retained the information, we celebrate with a |
commencement ceremony at Kishwaukee College! We had 12 graduates at this years commencement who celebrated this outstanding achievement with friends and family.
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