Most of you know that I have a son with special needs, Robbie was born with Down syndrome, and along with learning about his diagnosis I've also been able to learn all about the organizations we have around town that are here to help those with special needs, they are basically here to give the gift of opportunity.
Opportunity Village was founded by 3 families that came together in order to build a place where opportunities would be given to individuals with special needs, and that's exactly what it is today. I was able to learn specifically about 2 of the businesses that they run in order to raise funds and create jobs for their Opportunity Village clients.
The first branch was their catering, they have a whole cooking program, a chef actually takes time to teach them about general kitchen and cooking practices, and in result they have a complete catering dept. where they can cater any size lunches and/ or dinners. From corporate events, to full on holiday parties. No job to big or too small, they have it all! One of the things that stood out for me was their customized cookie tins, They make fresh cookies and package them in a metal tin, personalized with whatever you need on the outside!
The 2nd branch was their Thrift store, I was able to tour the property, including the back of the house which is where the magic happens, all the organizing, tagging and sorting through 1000's of donated pieces will go through a process before it makes the sales floor. They have daily sales and even sell on Ebay and Amazon!
It was so heart warming to see how much the individuals working their loved their job and truly took pride in being part of the OV team. Sometimes, reading about programs like this allow us to be more conscious about where we spend our money within our community, and to see where it all goes was a gift for me.
I really hope your next thrift shop is at the OV thrift store and your next party gets catered by OV! Thank you for taking the time to read this post, I have added all the links below for reference, whether you want to shop or order some cookie tins....
All Business Lines at OV
https://www.opportunityvillage.org/what-we-do/business-services
OV Thrift Store:
https://www.opportunityvillage.org/get-involved/shop/ovthrift
Amazon Bookstore:
https://www.amazon.com/s?me=A3GY2BERKHX4JX&marketplaceID=ATVPDKIKX0DER
Ebay:
https://www.ebay.com/str/ovshop
OV Thrift Store Donation Sites:
https://www.opportunityvillage.org/get-involved/give/donate-goods
Huge "Thanks" to everyone at Opportunity Village for all you guys do for our community!
