May 2019

Your generosity is amazing

Thank you to everyone who joined us at the Opportunity Partners gala on April 27. Stories of hope and joy filled our hearts, and we are so grateful for the support of incredible people like you. In all, you helped us raise more than $375,000 in support of programs and services that help more than 2,000 people with disabilities every year.

Check out the gala photo gallery, and watch Sam's video that was unveiled that night to our audience of 500 OP champions.

You help us do so much more

"Art makes me happy and I feel good doing it," Dana says. Dana is just one individual benefiting from art classes at Opportunity Partners-Asplin Center in Plymouth, and now the program will be recognized with a statewide award from the Minnesota Organization for Habilitation & Rehabilitation. The Life Enrichment award is recognizing the program for its impact on personal growth, increased confidence and engagement. Want to see the incredible art? Come to the Annual OP-Asplin Center Art Show on Thursday, May 30 from 4-7 pm with a brief award presentation at 5 pm.

Advocacy action alert!

Let Minnesota legislators know that disability services work matters! Both the House and Senate have now passed their Health & Human Service Omnibus bills with a Competitive Workforce Factor to begin to address Direct Support Professional (DSP) wages. We are now entering the critical stage of session where final negotiations are taking place about which provisions will end up in the final HHS Omnibus bill. Current data shows wages for disability service DSPs fall 17 percent behind wages of jobs with similar training and education. The Competitive Workforce Factor is an important step in bridging that wage gap and helping with the workforce crisis. If you are willing to contact your legislators with a brief message, please contact info@opportunities.org for more details. Thank you!