Dear Friends and Family,
As the close of 2024 and Opportunity Works 50th Anniversary year draws near, and we set our sights on the start of our sixth decade providing innovative programs and support to individuals with disabilities we take another moment to reflect and acknowledge with grateful appreciation your unwavering support for our valuable mission and important work. Thank you!
For half a century, Opportunity Works has been committed to providing quality, innovative services to adults with developmental disabilities and we attribute our continued success to our strong partnerships with the individuals we support, our team members, families, friends, community members, businesses, and our profoundly devoted supporters. Each one of you has made a genuine impact on the lives of individuals with disabilities. Each one of you has a direct hand in Empowering People, Changing Lives.
From our very beginning, Opportunity Works has been a unique organization wherein the people we support are at the center of all we do. Our 50-year journey has not only focused on providing care and support to individuals and their families, but also deeply inspiring and nurturing the human spirit, allowing our mission to guide us, each and every day.
Growing exponentially throughout the years both in terms of the numbers of people served and the vast scope of services provided we aspire to continue meeting the ever-growing needs of our communities and the hundreds of individuals from over thirty-two communities throughout northeast Massachusetts we currently serve for another half century.
In the spirit of this giving season, please consider making a generous donation to Opportunity WorksTODAY as your support is vital to our continued success. Your gift, no matter what size, will not only make a direct and lasting impact on the lives of many, but your gift will also continue the mission of Empowering People, Changing Lives.
Gratefully,
Opportunity Works
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OW Fun day!
An ocean of blue shirts was a site to see! In celebrating our 50 years of service, Opportunity Works hosted two days of celebration for our folks in both Haverhill and Newburyport.
Visits from the Kona Ice truck, local caricature artists, face painters, balloon artists, and various furry creatures gave everyone choice in how they wanted to spend their day!
Cycling through all the stations, folks supported could relax with a craft such as bracelet making or utilize some sensory baskets. Others chose to shoot hoops with their pals for prizes and attempt to dunk their favorite staff members in the dunk tank. Program participant Arius was quoted “It was great. I like when everyone participates together. I liked the animal stuff, it was nice.”
“I dunked my staff in the dunk tank. The people that did drawings were cool. I would like to try something like that someday.” He concluded.
Program participant Karen, pictured in the group photo below, recalled the day being “hot” and “fun” and was excited she could cool off with the treats from Kona Ice. She also mentioned that seeing everyone in their OW shirts made her feel happy. She liked matching with her friends.
Our organization was so excited to be able to celebrate this milestone with the people that mean the most to us!
Opportunity Works came together in October with friends, families, former Executive Directors, stakeholders and members of our communities to celebrate our Golden Anniversary in style!
The night included a look back at our history, acknowledging past and present leadership, what the future holds in store and most importantly, we celebrated the individuals served and their remarkable success throughout the last half century!
During the night we presented five Opportunity Works program participants with awards and are pictured below with their corresponding Executive Directors. Each award winner represented a different decade of service, and displayed exemplary personal growth. We would like to congratulate:
1974-1984: Glen R.
1984-1994: Katie B.
1994-2004: Dan E.
2004-2014: Billy J.
2014-2024: Stuart L.
Fall is in the air, and so is our excitement for all the new things we are learning here at Project SEARCH! We’re currently in our first round of internships. . we have learned so much already! In class we’re working on workplace safety and how to identify & prevent workplace hazards. We’re so thankful for our NECC supervisors who took an intern this round!
“I am thankful for Project SEARCH because I am learning how to be more independent and I’m able to work on new skills for my future.” – Anajahliz T, PS Intern
I love my NECC Police Comfort Dog internship. My responsibilities are following Winnie’s schedule which includes taking Winnie outside, feeding & giving her water, putting on/taking off her collar, bringing her to interact with students around campus, crating her & tracking what we did each day. Winnie makes everyone happy. I learn a lot from her. . . like how she knows where the treats or pup cups are in every building! -Elizabeth D, PS Intern
NEW Internships
NECC Haverhill- -NECC Police Comfort Dog & Finance Department
NECC Lawrence- S.O.A.R
“ I love working at S.O.A.R because I have been able to work on my organizational skills, independence & my communication skills” -Leandra R, PS Intern
For more information or to schedule a tour of Project SEARCH contact the PS program manager Jessica at [email protected]
Transport Manager Chris Breton and Haverhill Developmental Specialist Rosanna Guzman had an amazing time at the Methuen Festival of Trees donor night.
Although our tree didn’t place we had such a fun time decorating! A huge thank you to all the families who donated items.
“It was awesome, there was a lot people and food was great. The show was fantastic. Actually a lot of people love that Christmas tree from here. They were amazed by it! “- Chris Breton
Together, we can shape the future of our community’s health. Our community partner Anna Jaques Hospital and other Beth Israel Lahey Health (BILH) hospitals are doing a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) to learn about the issues affecting our community. With your help, the CHNA will guide BILH’s community health strategy for the next three years. Take the survey by November 1 for a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card here https://survey.jsi.com/s3/FY25-BILH.
Click below to download flyer:
Clique abaixo para baixar o folheto:
AJH – Survey Flyer – Portuguese
Haga clic a continuación para descargar el folleto:
Thank you for your support!
Come join us. We are looking for volunteers for a social group that goes on a variety of field trips, one Saturday per month. The group is made up of adults with developmental disabilities from Opportunity Works called The Explorers.
Background checks are required.
Please contact Karen Nicholas @ [email protected]
Or
Suzanne Roberts @ [email protected]
Join the Explorers on an adventure…
Thank you to everyone who attended the reception, and visited the gallery throughout its run over at the NAA! There were so many different mediums that the artists used throughout the year with OpArt, and each person was able to try new things and see which medium they enjoyed the most. Many used acrylic or water color paint, as well as some incredible collage work. Congratulations to the artists for another amazing exhibit.
