Opportunity Knocks is dedicated to providing opportunities and resources for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities so they may pursue their educational, occupational and social interests.
Opportunity Knocks is dedicated to providing opportunities and resources for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities so they may pursue their educational, occupational and social interests.
The people we serve are Warriors and it is our belief that their place in the community is both valuable and necessary. Because of their perseverance and strength, we endearingly dub our participants as Warriors.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13th | THATCHER & VINE, RIVER FOREST, IL
An annual event where neighborhood kids work together to raise funds to help an inspiring group of Warriors at Opportunity Knocks. Kids of all ages plan and organize the event and often show up with their piggy bank and tooth fairy money to donate to the cause. This year’s Knocktoberfest will feature new Oktoberfest food offerings from the OK enterprise, the Warrior Catering Company, and college football! Stop by for warm apple cider and other fall treats or stick around and enjoy all there is to offer!
After Opps is an after school work program offering a wide variety of activities that are developed in collaboration with the participants. Program activities are embedded with a focus on peer leadership, health and wellness, social interaction and community connections.
The Life Shop is an adult day program that takes a Warrior-centered approach to life in the community. The program is designed for Warriors older than age 22, focusing on building life skills, health and wellness, community integration and vocational skills.
OK has three connected initiatives that comprise our social enterprise which provide meaningful and gainful employment opportunities for the Warriors, as well as an added revenue stream to support the organization. The initiatives are Knockout Pickles, the Warrior Catering Co., and the OK Farm.
An important concept engrained into our mission is the effort to encourage our participants to give back to the local community. Community Opportunities is a Warrior’s mission that is focused on helping homeless pets, supporting the environment, and helping children in need.
The Warrior Wellness initiative launched in July 2013 to combat the health disparities faced by our Warriors. Embedded within each program area, Warrior Wellness promotes the physical, mental, and social well-being of our Warriors, staff, and community. It has become the 6th point in the Warrior Code of Conduct!!
After Opps is an after school work program offering a wide variety of activities that are developed in collaboration with the participants. Program activities are embedded with a focus on peer leadership, health and wellness, social interaction and community connections.
The Life Shop is an adult day program that takes a Warrior-centered approach to life in the community. The program is designed for Warriors older than age 22, focusing on building life skills, health and wellness, community integration and vocational skills.
OK has three connected initiatives that comprise our social enterprise which provide meaningful and gainful employment opportunities for the Warriors, as well as an added revenue stream to support the organization. The initiatives are Knockout Pickles, the Warrior Catering Co., and the OK Farm.
An important concept engrained into our mission is the effort to encourage our participants to give back to the local community. Community Opportunities is a Warrior’s mission that is focused on helping homeless pets, supporting the environment, and helping children in need.
The Warrior Wellness initiative launched in July 2013 to combat the health disparities faced by our Warriors. Embedded within each program area, Warrior Wellness promotes the physical, mental, and social well-being of our Warriors, staff, and community. It has become the 6th point in the Warrior Code of Conduct!!
Conceived in late 2015 as a way to give the Warriors a role in the local sustainable food movement by creating a ‘seed to jar’ experience with our Knockout Pickle production. In a short period of time we turned a 2,500 square foot of field off Madison Street into a lush, handicap-accessible urban garden.
The year of 2017 was plentiful with so much learning, growing and transforming of our organization and mission work. We hope you can find some time to review this account of all that 2017 held at OK. The report includes: financial and development stats, program highlights, and Warrior profiles.
JOIN OUR TEAM! Guarantee your spot in the 2019 Bank of America Chicago Marathon by running in support of the Opportunity Knocks Warriors. Runners who register with an Opportunity Knocks guaranteed entry will be responsible for fundraising a minimum of $1,250 (your...
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Life Shop Warriors ventured down south to visit Legends Farm - a farm affiliated with Windy City Harvest of the Chicago Botanic Gardens. Windy City Harvest’s largest farm is a 2-plus acre site that serves as an incubator for small farm businesses...
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Opportunity Knocks is an official charity partner of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon!! Runners will be fundraising for Opportunity Knocks as they train to run 26.2 miles on October 7, 2018. We are excited to introduce you to Jenny, one of our dedicated team...
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(Click Image to view and download full version of brochure) Registration for the OK After Opps Fall Season, Sessions 1 & 2 is now open! See descriptions of activities being offered below. Please use the form on this page to register for either or both of...
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Warriors had another fun-filled After Opps session in Summer 1! Check it out! Mondays: The Swimming group had some summer fun enjoying the pool, water-slides, structured activities, and sunshine at the Forest Park Aquatic Center. Cartoon Club explored the...
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Sunday, August 16th, 2018 was a prominent milestone in the history of Opportunity Knocks and our social enterprises. We worked alongside the culinary masters at The Heritage in Forest Park to create the very first Warrior Harvest Dinner. The evening's...
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Things have been busy at the OK Farm. Life Shop and After Opps Warriors have been picking, planting, and pruning vegetables that are used in our Life Shop and After Opps programs, as well as Warrior Catering Company events. In...
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Warriors had another fun-filled After Opps session in Spring 2! Check it out! Mondays: The Preserving group learned how to preserve produce through fermentation. They also prepared and sampled a variety of pickled foods including Knock-Out Pickles, pickled...
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(Click Image to view and download full version of brochure) Registration for the OK After Opps Summer Season, Sessions 1 & 2 is now open! See descriptions of activities being offered below. Please use the form on this page to register for either or both of...
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The veggies are poppin' on the OK Farm! After Opps Spring 2 finished the session strong with a harvest of 51 pounds of produce. Crops harvested included spring veggies such as spinach, radishes, a variety of lettuces, beet tops, kale, and garlic scapes! Warriors...
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The Warrior Star Initiative (WSI) is a partnership program between Opportunity Knocks and the Dominican University Psychology and Nutrition Departments which launched in Fall 2017 and was based on a program run through our friends at the Trinity Volunteer Corps....
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Warriors are on working on their core strength thanks to our instructor Cheryl. Our circuit training had Warriors kickboxing, battle roping, ring tossing, squatting, running, and all around sweating! Warriors even braved jacobs ladder - the never ending...
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