Six decades in, client independence leads the way at Opportunity House in DeKalb County

SYCAMORE – Connie Brickwell, 73, said she’s still enjoying her time at Opportunity House, where she’s spent the past 40 years taking part in the nonprofit’s vocational and residential living programs.

While at Opportunity House, Brickwell enjoys working on arithmetics. Staff said she’d likely have been an accountant in another life. Now, she’s helping the organization celebrate 60 years of service to the community.

Opportunity House, a Sycamore-based nonprofit, will ring in 60 years of serving people with developmental disabilities at its upcoming gala at 5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 9 at Faranda’s Banquet Hall, 302 Grove St. in DeKalb. Cocktail attired is required for the gala – which will feature food, music and a brief program – and is open to public. Tickets are $75.

Brickwell said Thursday she thinks the staff at Opportunity House are nice and kind.

“I think it’s good. I think they do everything they’re supposed to do, and everything like that,” Brickwell said. “I like to be with people. I like these people, I work with them each day.”

Some of the families of current and former clients will be in attendance, as well as current and former organization staff members.

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Opportunity House Executive Director Tom Matya talks about the evolution of the rehabilitation center through the years Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023, at the facility in Sycamore. Opportunity House will be celebrating its 60th anniversary Thursday, Nov. 9 at Faranda's Banquets in DeKalb. (Mark Busch)

Carol Parsons, program director who has been with Opportunity House for more than 30 years, is one of those who plan to attend. Since 1991, Parsons has worked in direct support roles, fostering relationships with Opportunity House clients and their families.

She said she’s seen the organization grow by “leaps and bounds.”

“Most of our services have more than doubled over the last 30 years, just the number of clients, the number of homes, the opportunities and stuff, it doubled,” said Parsons.

Earlier this year, the organization acquired two new homes for 24-hour residential care services. The homes help fulfill clients’ needs through individualized plans that can include medical appointments as well as medication and budget management help.

“I think it’s good. I think they do everything they’re supposed to do, and everything like that ... I like to be with people. I like these people, I work with them each day.”

—  40-year Opportunity House client Connie Brickwell

Tom Matya, executive director of Opportunity House, said he hopes the two new residences in Genoa will be ready to open soon, which will allow them to bring in four new clients.

Johnissha Harris, the nonprofit’s residential director, oversees about 63 clients living in 10 residential homes throughout DeKalb County.

Harris said she and her department’s staff focus on giving clients a sense of belonging and accomplishment.

“I think that’s what we’re all about in residential, just making sure they accomplish the things they want to accomplish in life,” Harris said. “Just making sure they’re happy, whether it’s doing a small task in the home, or just the simplest things, making sure they’re happy, they’re safe, they’re healthy.”

About 100 clients – up to about 60 a day – are served between Opportunity House’s two main programs, residential and day services. And while establishing independence and building skills is always an objective at Opportunity House, creating spaces for fun also is a significant focus, staff said.

Johanna Blocker, day services director, has lead clients in Tai Chi martial arts classes. Emily Kvasnicka, recreation coordinator, has orchestrated field trips into the community, about four times per month.

Recently, the pair led Opportunity House clients on several adventures, including dinner and bowling, a trip to The Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Cave of the Mounds in Wisconsin and to Galena for a ghost tour in October.

“We are out to do everything,” Kvasnicka said. “Personally, one of my favorite accomplishments of what we’ve done is our fun and fair fitness group. It started off as just an opportunity to take a dance class with a local studio and spiraled into our group learning, memorizing a two-minute-long dance routine in which we got to perform on stage with their company in front of like 100 people.”

Opportunities like what Kvasnicka created didn’t exist 60 years ago, but they happen today because of the expansion of Opportunity House services.

Out of respect, individuals who receive services from Opportunity House are called clients – even though they don’t pay to receive the services – but that hasn’t always been the case, staff said.

The genesis for Opportunity House came when four families created the DeKalb County Association for the Mentally Retarded in 1957. At the time, resources for children and adults dealing with cognitive disabilities in DeKalb County were scant.

Six years after the four DeKalb County families banded together another resource was formed, when Opportunity House, Inc. began hosting workshops in a Sycamore school house.

Although Opportunity House had a separate board of directors from the initial program, the people being helped were still commonly called “mentally retarded.” The dated terminology that in the modern era carries derogatory implications has fallen out of vernacular use these days, and for good reason, Matya said.

Matya said many things have changed since the organization was created, predominately the language used toward and about their clients.

“I think that was the culture of the time. I think that was the general way that people were referred to. And then, I think people realized overtime that put a stigma on those individuals,” Matya said. “A better way of positioning it is they’re regular people just like we are. It’s just the fact that they have intellectual and developmental disabilities, but they live normal lives, they have their choices.”

Today, Opportunity House clients are given independence through choice. Each day clients are given a variety of educational or hands-on activity options to fill their time, but they aren’t pigeonholed into doing something they’d prefer to not take part in.

There are Special Olympic sports teams that are organized though Opportunity House, and there’s a room for older clients who would prefer to be around their peers.

The nonprofit has seen near continuous growth over the past few decades, but Matya and Parsons said they’ve also seen a paradigm shift in the services they provide.

“Now, the focus is a lot more on individualized rights, whereas probably in the beginning stages it was still a lot more group mentality, you know, support and care, where now it’s promoting independence by the individual,” Parsons said. “So everything is individually driven, instead of just problematically driven. So each person is asked by all of us, all of the time, ‘What do you want to do?’”