Join us for the Success Celebration!

August 2018

Today's stories represent our organizational values of Impact, Choice, Heart and Partnership. Do you have a values story to share? Let us know.

Choice - Meet the "Sheriff"

At 84 years old, Richard, also known as "Sheriff," is the oldest-served person across all of Opportunity Partners day sites! Sheriff has been with Opportunity Partners since 1974! He currently attends our Golden Opportunity program two days a week where he loves taking classes and being with his friends. When he is not making people smile at G.O., he loves listening to country music and watching Westerns.


	Desi won the Heart Award last year

Impact - Join us for the Success Celebration!

The 2018 Success Celebration will take place Sunday, September 9 at the Hyland Hills Chalet in Bloomington. Join us as we celebrate the incredible people of Opportunity Partners as we recognize them with the awards of Impact, Choice, Heart, Partnership and Spirit. Tickets are $8 and can be purchased online. Please contact us if you have any questions.

Heart - Kadie goes for gold!

Congratulations to Kadie for winning 4 medals (including 2 gold) in swimming during the Special Olympics USA Games in Seattle! Kadie is part of OP's Support Employment Team (SET) at General Mills and we are all so proud of her!

Choice - finding a niche in a time of transition

"Transition students are usually between 18 and 21 years old, a time when most people are exploring and figuring things out - especially when it comes to work. Fitting into a mold isn't always the best thing in that situation."

This week, Ben Kopnick, Program Coordinator, Transitions and Evaluations writes about how one size does not fit all when it comes to transition. Read more on the blog.

Partnership - Fire Starters featured in Lake Time Magazine

Our Fire Starters were recently featured in the summer issue of Lake Time Magazine, a publication celebrating Minnesota's lake towns. Take a look at the article online (page 47). Reminder that proceeds from Fire Starters go directly to supporting people with disabilities. They can be purchased on Amazon in packs of 20.

Metro Mobility transportation update

In the coming months, Opportunity Partners will be seeing some changes with Metro Mobility transportation services. While the services are changing, Metro Mobility continues to be committed to providing safe, reliable, courteous, accessible and user-friendly services to its customers.

First, we'd like to welcome back Transit Team to our agency transportation service. Transit Team has been a wonderful partner. They've provided agency service for us in the past, and they currently serve many participants who use the demand system. Second, some of our locations and participants will be transitioning from agency service to demand service.

Since June, Metro Mobility and Transit Team have been working closely with our Transportation team to make these changes smooth and seamless for people served, families and staff. The first transitions will take place on September 24 and will continue through October 8. If you have any questions about the transportation plan for Opportunity Partners, please reach out to Transportation Manager Alison Steward.

Upcoming Events

September 9, 2018 - Success Celebration

September 9-15, 2018 - Direct Support Professional Recognition Week

October 2018 - National Disability Employment Awareness Month

Established in 1953, Opportunity Partners helps people with disabilities live, learn and
work more independently through innovative services and collaborations with business.

Together we advance the quality of life for people with disabilities.