Mike is the elder brother of 22-year-old John, who has Down syndrome. The catalyst for this mission manifested as John approached the age of 22, when he and his family became faced with some stark realizations. All of the wonderful educational and occupational programs of which he had grown to rely on would soon stop. After the age of 22, Illinois statute deems individuals with developmental disabilities ineligible for service and support programs that are funded through and offered by the public school system. For individuals with developmental disabilities older than age 22, like John, seeking out similar services becomes an immense challenge. For those lucky enough to find funding, the chance of finding something in their community is slim. This challenge has served as the motivation behind Mike’s mission to found Opportunity Knocks and sustain an organization that provides these folks with invaluable support and services well into their adult lives.

For several years, Mike built awareness, gathered the support system and raised the funds that would eventually create Opportunity Knocks. In September of 2007, avery close friend to Michael lost her life. Struggling with the grief, Mike rallied an effort to create an event that would honor her memory and raise funds for the Oak Park and River Forest High School’s Special Olympics Basketball team. It was an awesomely successful event and the show of support made it clear to Mike that this community was ready to support his dream of Opportunity Knocks. This event was the first of four KG Classic Softball Tournaments. In 2008, the KG Classic dedicated proceeds to OK. The event served as a way for a community to honor and remember the life of Kathy Garrigan and raised the funds and awareness that moved OK down the runway until the eventual launch.

In March of 2009, the Board of Directors was established and their work began to fortify the organization. Later that summer, the Auxiliary Board was officially established. This group of young professionals was dedicated to management of the OK Events, the driving force behind the OK development plan.

In February of 2010, after a lease agreement was signed with the River Forest Community Center, a build-out renovation project was completed, a modest staff was assembled, the program activities were prepared and the Warriors were signed up. The doors opened for our first program session on February 22, 2010! The afternoon recreation and social program, “After Opps,” has been operating for four years, with consistently full enrollment topping out at 40 Warriors per session. As this program continues to grow and develop, OK looks to the future and the next steps in the strategic plan.