Out and About Newsletter Available

Out & About Newsletter Now Available

View the September-October Out & About Newsletter Below

The Out & About Newsletter is back. You can now enjoy it directly in your email without being redirected to our website. Expect interesting stories, milestones, event recaps, and more!

General Announcements

Opportunity House Scores 100%!

The Illinois Department of Public Health completed their annual licensing survey in October. Opportunity House was found to be in 100% compliance. Way to go O.H. staff!

Celebrating DSP Week!

September 8th-14th was Direct Support Professional (DSP) Week. Our DSP's are the backbone of our agency; without them, our agency would not exist and our clients will not thrive the way they do. This is why administrative staff served them a catered lunch by The Country Store in Sycamore. Each day of DSP week we tried to something special for them. Opportunity House want them to know that they are appreciated for the work they do.

Community Day Services

At CDS, we had a busy start to the fall season! In September, we went to museums, orchards, out to lunch, and so much more!

Kris, David, Jane, Ron, Ashley, Dillon, and Matt enjoy a trip to Jonamac Orchard!

Sara and Mark explore a giant bird's nest at a local museum.

Rachel, Kenny, and Randy drinking some apple cider.

4-H Earns Blue Ribbons!

In September, our adult 4-H group held their annual project fair, giving them the chance to present the projects they've been working on all year to the 4-H judges. The group earned blue ribbons on all their projects. Way to go!

October brought trips to the park, bowling, the pumpkin pumpkin patch, the Halloween store, and of course, celebrating Halloween at CDS!

Jane painting a pumpkin with the Winfield Park District.

Roxanne, John, Lisa, and Monica having fun bowling!

Adam, Matthew, Craig, and Sara enjoying the pumpkins at Jonamac!

Lisa, Stanley, Ron, Jason, and Sam show off their costumes!

Happy Halloween!

Clients had a blast making crafts, playing games, watching movies, completing a scavenger hunt, and showing off their costumes this Halloween at CDS!

Michael, Ron, Lisa, and Liz hunting for Halloween images!

Kevin sporting his hot dog costume!

Kim showing off her Ghostbusters witch hat with staff Maya.

Community Supports

Mark sipping cider at Kuiper's Family Farm.

Mary Jo checking out some spooky decorations!

Richard enjoying a nice day at the train park.

In September and October, we have been busy with community outings in the Community Supports Program. We've had individuals visit the mall, train parks, orchards, and Spirit Halloween!

Ron, Richard, and Kevin at Fox Valley Mall.

Jenny visiting Kuiper's Family Farm.

Vocational Supports

What's happening in vocational services!

Josh Beamish and Jared Love are celebrating one year of successful employment at Lehan Drugs (above), while Monica Waller (left) has been a dedicated Target employee for over 20 years. Additionally, clients( not pictured) Levan Mitchell and Kailee Kuropas have completed 90 days of community employment! Great job, everyone!

Residential Services

The Genoa Area Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting ceremony at the site of one of the two new homes recently built in Genoa to welcome Opportunity House as members of the chamber. We hope to have these homes open soon!

Welcome new Residential Director Tracey!

Say hello to our new Residential Director, Tracey Sosin! Tracey brings a wealth of experience, and we’re excited to have her join the OH team.

Recreation

Welcome to our new Recreation staff member, Jose! We’re excited to have him join our OH team. He’s already well-loved by both his co-workers and the individuals we serve.

The Recreation team at Pizza, Beer, Whisky

Clients enjoyed lots of sports this fall - first, a day of baseball to see a Chicago Cubs win! Then, tailgating at at an NIU football came!

The Recreation Department hosted their first successful Bar Crawl in Sycamore to raise funds for the Kiwanis Aktion Club. A huge thank you to Pizza, Beer, Whisky, Cub & Spanks, MVP's, and PJ Courthouse Tavern for your generous support—we had a blast!

Fall Crafts!

Sydney sporting her newly crafted witch hat!

Staff Jil helps Jess show off her creative stained glass window.

Laura and her cozy cottage pumpkin!

Aktion Club's pumpkin display submitted to the Sycamore Pumpkin Festival!

Dance the Night Away!

Clients had a blast at the annual Recreation Halloween Dance!

Libby and Emily

Claire and Tim

Janet and Randy

David and Lisa

John and Roxanne

Monica and Jane

O.H. Athletics

This fall, the Thunder softball team triumphed, winning a gold medal at the Special Olympics Illinois State Softball Tournament on September 7-8 in Springfield.

The Thunder modified volleyball team took 4th place at the Special Olympics Illinois Fall Games in October, while the Thunder Black Unified team earned silver. Bowlers Kiley, Kevin, and Andrew also showcased their skills at the Northern Sectional Bowling Tournament in Rockford.

Thanks to Maple Park Supports Special Olympic Athletes and Jim and Colleen MacRunnels for their generous support through the Hogwild and Wheel of Meat fundraiser. These efforts help us continue supporting our athletes in their chosen sports.