A Case for Support
A Case for Support Together we advance the quality of life for people with disabilities.
Opportunity Partners 5500 Opportunity Court Minnetonka, MN 55343
Heather Shiell Vice President of Advancement hshiell@opportunities.org
Opportunity Partners
WHO WE ARE
HISTORY OF OPPORTUNITY PARTNERS
Founded in 1953, Opportunity Partners has grown from a jobs program for a handful of young adults with developmental or intellectual disabilities in a small house in Richfield to a multi-faceted nonprofit organization that provides a continuum of support for over 1,000 people in several service sites and 20 group homes. Our goals are to help people with disabilities live as independently as possible, to include and support people with disabilities to be fully included in the broader communities in which they live, work, learn, connect, and contribute.
OPPORTUNITY PARTNERS HAS ALWAYS FOCUSED ON THE ABILITIES OF THE PEOPLE WE SERVE. Opportunity Partners programs are person-focused, asking each participant to identify their own strengths, interests and goals and make choices about how to move forward. One-on-one support is provided by OP staff to help each person work toward their own goals. The individualized nature of our services and the choices provided to participants are unique compared to many other programs in the field.
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Opportunity Partners is known for: • High quality, innovative services • Staff members who are committed, compassionate and competent • Participants who can help set their own goals and choose services that are most appropriate for them • Programs that help participants move closer to their own goals of independence and develop meaningful connections with others
A Case for Support
SERVICES A unique aspect of Opportunity Partners is the breadth of services provided. Rather than having a different provider for each service received, our participants can receive all these services at OP, simplifying the process and reducing the amount of time spent on communication and logistics. This reduces stress and allows people to maintain friendships across programs. Staff members in the various programs work together to coordinate services. Employment services provide a range of options and levels of support, from gaining skills working on-site at a supervised production facility, working with a job coach as part of a supported employment team at local businesses, and working with individualized supports in competitive, integrated employment. Residential options include group homes, independent apartments with on-site support, and in-home services with weekly life skills support for those who live independently or with family. Enrichment services help participants expand their talents, build friendships, and participate in their community by exploring areas of interest including cooking, art, leisure activities, community service, independent living, and job readiness.
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Opportunity Partners
WE NEED YOUR HELP With a waiting list of nearly three hundred people, we need your help to connect those who want to work with meaningful jobs, provide more participants with a safe, welcoming place to call home, and provide new ways to enrich the quality of life for our people served. There are several Opportunity Partners’ programs that need a one-time investment to support Opportunity Partners’ life changing work to increase independence and inclusion of persons served.
Meaningful Jobs:
Expanding the Koch Production floor Your support will allow us to renovate and grow the production area, increasing employment opportunities, independence, and social connections for the people we serve.
A Place to Call Home:
Investing in Homebase Apartments Adding a fourth Homebase site will provide apartments for 10-12 people who are currently waiting for the increased independence of a new home.
Enriching Quality of Life: New Artist-in-Residence Pilot
This exciting new pilot program will bring a local artist to work directly with participants at all four of our service locations, fostering creativity and artistic talent while building community and providing a sense of accomplishment.
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A Case for Support
MEANINGFUL JOBS EXPANDING THE KOCH PRODUCTION FLOOR
For 70 years Opportunity Partners has been helping participants learn skills needed for job success while also filling a need for workers in our community. Employment provides increased independence, community participation, social connection, and personal pride. Responsive and quality-focused production services at OP’s Koch site are customized to meet local company’s operational needs, providing: • Passionate and reliable team members ready to work • Variety of services including blister packaging, shrink-wrapping, collating, labeling and sub-assemblies Due to growing demand, we need to expand the Koch production floor to meet an increased need for kitting, packaging, and light assembly. At Koch, we currently have 43,450 square feet of production space, and serve 97 OP participant workers. With a one-time investment of $150,000, we will expand our production floor and the number of people we serve by ten percent, allowing our Business Services program to meet the growing need for production workers. The renovation project to expand the work floor will reallocate space that is currently underutilized to serve more businesses, benefit more of the people we serve, and increase ongoing support for all Opportunity Partners programs. Business Services is a key financial driver for Opportunity Partners, and this expansion is an important component of OP’s strategy to increase capacity and meet the organization’s growth plans and continued financial stability.
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Opportunity Partners
A PLACE TO CALL HOME INVESTING IN HOMEBASE APARTMENTS
Opportunity Partners Homebase Apartments support people with disabilities to build independence while living in their own homes – often for the first time. These services fill a critical gap between parental or group homes and fully independent living, providing critical safety and well-being for the people we serve. They also provide an opportunity to build relationships and a sense of community with friends through regular group meals and outings. OP currently has several one-bedroom apartments in three apartment buildings in Hopkins, Minnetonka, and Coon Rapids. Participants live in their own apartment with 24-hour staff support available to assist with life skills such as cooking, cleaning, medication, social activities, and shopping, as needed. Facing a growing demand for these Homebase Apartments, OP is seeking donations to cover the start-up costs of adding a fourth apartment to meet this growing need and provide homes for an additional 10-12 new participants in 2024, and many more in years to come. With a start-up investment of $200,000, Opportunity Partners will lease and equip twelve apartments in a neighborhood apartment building, recruit, hire, provide training and orientation for staff for this additional setting, to provide independent housing within a caring community for people who are currently waiting for a home. Once this apartment is up and running, it will be self-sustaining.
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A Case for Support
ENRICHING QUALITY OF LIFE NEW ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE PILOT
Opportunity Partners Enrichment programs allow people served to learn new skills, expand their talents, build friendships, engage with their communities, and have their contributions and talents celebrated. Increased direct funding will allow us to further enhance these programs with additional professional support. A donation of $100,000 will fund an Artist-in-Residence pilot program for three years, providing a visiting artist at all four of our service locations. • The artist will work directly with the people we serve, expanding their artistic talents, building meaningful friendships and increasing their emotional well-being. • Funding for this program will provide a wide range of visual art opportunities including painting, drawing, collage, photography, and sculpting. • Each year will culminate in a gallery showing at one of our locations, enabling artists to share their vision and talent with friends, family, and the broader community.
Some of the benefits of visuals arts for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities include: • providing a sense of accomplishment • improving concentration • managing stress and anxiety • providing an emotional outlet • enabling nontraditional communication • increased dopamine levels • having fun with new friends
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Opportunity Partners
OP AT A GLANCE Established in 1953 by families, Opportunity Partners advances the quality of life for more than 1,000 adults with disabilities each year through employment, training and enrichment activities that build independence and promote inclusion in our communities. Your gift provides critical support so we can continue to be here for those who need us the most!
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1,035 people with disabilities
age range of people served
served by OP in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area
46
average age of people served
245 people supported in Enrichment Services
131 people participated in in-person Enrichment services
114 people took part in virtual Enrichment classes
271 people supported in Residential Services
77 people living in OP Group Homes
27 people living in Homebase Apartments
Supported 167 people to live independently in their own homes
660 people supported in Employment Services
66 people worked on Supported Employment Teams
209 people worked at our production centers
Supported 250 people working jobs in community businesses and another 135 people seeking new jobs