Opportunity Center: Expanding Hope for Clients

Story & Photos by Jennifer Vaughan / Ponca City Monthly Staff Writer

Ben Grubb has been an Opportunity Center client since graduating from high school in 2004. He works full-time at Village Screen Print, where he’s able to walk to and from work each day. Ben has a personal job coach who assists him with the sublimation machine and folding clothes, which he’s recently showed his mother, Cindy, that he’s able to help her with at home. Cindy is also employed by the Opportunity Center as a Habilitation Training Aide, and she provides in-home support to Ben ensuring that he’s eating right, waking up with his alarm clock, and staying hydrated, among other things. Because of the program offered by the Opportunity Center, funded by the state, Ben is able to receive in-home care from the person who loves him the most in the entire world. Cindy says she can’t imagine life without the programming offered by the Opportunity Center.

“It would be very, very hard. Ben wouldn’t have anywhere to go. He wouldn’t have a job. I wouldn’t have this job. I just think we’re so fortunate here in Ponca City to have something like this. It’s absolutely wonderful. When Ben goes to work, he’s just so happy. The people down there just love Ben. It’s like a family. That’s how I’ve always considered the Opportunity Center.” The Opportunity Center, Inc. is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization that provides both residential and vocational facilities and services for the lifelong benefit of people in Kay County who have developmental disabilities.

Founded in 1963, The Opportunity Center has served the community of Ponca City for decades. However, in the last few years, it has experienced many structural changes due to revisions in regulations at the state level. The state of Oklahoma mandated in 2016 that the Opportunity Center’s clients could no longer work on their campus at Opportunity Village, located at 2225 North Union. The state’s position was that it wasn’t considered communityintegrated, due to the existence of a group home in the Village.

In response to the state’s decision, the organization purchased a building downtown on Grand Avenue with two storefronts that now proudly houses two businesses, Whimsy and Village Screen Print. Since moving out of the Village location and into the community, the Opportunity Center has seen a broadening of community support because of its expanded presence in the community.

In January 2019, an unaffiliated nonprofit called Positive Impact dissolved, and the Opportunity Center absorbed the program to continue providing those services to the community. Located at Opportunity Village, the Positive Impact program coordinates therapy services for clients including speech therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and any other types of therapy they may need. Many therapists travel from out of town, and because of the facility, are equipped with the supplies necessary to provide the services these clients need. Emma Grace, a young girl, is one of those clients and was also one of the first hundred patients in the world to be diagnosed with genetic mutation DDX3X.

Emma is one of fifty clients to receive Positive Impact program services. She was provided Occupational Therapy by a therapist who commuted from Stillwater. Emma’s mother, Lyndsay Grace, says driving to Stillwater or Edmond isn’t always realistic, especially when receiving multiple types of therapies, multiple times a week. Lyndsay serves on the Kay County Council, one of three boards put in place to provide oversight for the Opportunity Center, because she says, “Emma will likely be receiving those services as an adult, and it’s so important.”

Lyndsay offers advice for other parents who are struggling. “Everything seems easier now, I’m sure, because I’ve moved to [a place of] acceptance of who she is. But, thinking back to when we were in the unknown, it was a lot scarier and the future seemed so unsure. Remember to take one step at a time and give your child the best support you can. There are still times that I worry about her and her future, but time and good support from teachers, therapists, and friends and family help us move forward and support her future.” More recently, the Opportunity Center has implemented changes to reduce its footprint and become even more financially conscious. Thanks to an incredibly generous anonymous donor, the facility has leased out the offices at Opportunity Village and purchased a building at 3007 North Union, where utilities are 1/10th the cost compared to the old location. This move freed up additional funds which has enabled the institution to further expand its services to the community. This expansion is exactly what Executive Director Julie Grigsba says is the goal of the Opportunity Center — to always continue to provide new opportunities to clients.

One of the newest opportunities will be an Adult Day Program, which will open in the newly purchased facilities located on North Union, scheduled to open in 2021. This program will allow family members to bring their loved ones to a campus where they’ll receive interactive care during the day. Each week will feature a different training topic for residents. For example, one week may cover fire safety in which clients will take a trip to the fire station; learn to stop, drop and roll; find out how to cook safely; or learn about different types of fires, including grease and electrical fires.

The Opportunity Center provides clients with Sheltered Workshop, Community Integrated Employment and Group Employment, where they are paid in accordance with the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). They also own multiple group homes throughout the community which provide clients with the opportunity to work toward living as independently as possible, while still receiving every bit of care that they need. Some homes are targeted toward clients who need 24/7 care, while other homes house clients who live quite independently already. In-home support is offered to clients in their own homes, where staff offers respite care, assisted daily living, and training specifically centered around each client, such as balancing a checkbook, grocery shopping, assistance with doctor appointments, and more. Julie Grigsba says the waiting list for services is long, and she urges parents and caregivers to call as soon as they know that services are needed.

“There’s a waiting list for our services with the state of Oklahoma that is ten years long. If you have a child who has a disability, contact us now and let us help you get them on the waiting list.” The Opportunity Center is able to provide services to clients without a wait, but the ability to offer those services is completely dependent on private donations. The center has two urgent and immediate needs: a vehicle with a wheelchair ramp for transporting clients, and a privacy fence.