This Year's Project: Kitchen Necessities
About Our Organization
Opportunities Unlimited provides Community-Based Neurobehavioral Rehabilitation Services and Intermediate Care Residential Services for individuals who have sustained a traumatic brain injury or other physical disability. The OU campus, which is located on the north side of Sioux City, consists of nine residential homes and a large Community Center that serves as the hub for therapies and activities as well as the administrative offices. In addition to providing Community-Based Neurobehavioral Rehabilitation Services and Intermediate Care Residential Services, OU also provides Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) to children and adults with disabilities. These services are offered at the Opportunities Unlimited Community Center, throughout the community, and in the privacy of the person served’s home. OU also has two HCBS homes for individuals requiring assistance with skills needed to live in a more independent setting. The employment services department offers many vocational services to individuals with disabilities who require assistance in building the skills needed to access meaningful employment. Founded by families of Sioux City, OU leads with the mission of "Maximizing Personal Potential Through Dignified and Purposeful Living."
Current Project: Kitchen Necessities
Opportunities Unlimited's Residential and Rehabilitation services (ICF/CNRS) support individuals living in nine of our homes. Our OU team members support our persons served in their homes, helping them to take part in activities of dailing living. Much of this time is spent in the kitchen, helping our persons served to plan, prepare, and cook their meals. While we make every effort to take care of our homes, after time some things just need to be updated and replaced. Our focus this year is to equip our homes with the updated items needed in their kitchens. This includes items such as pots and pans, serving dishes, and baking pans. Other items utilized by our members include food processors to assist with altered diets as well as adaptive equipment including rocker knives, divided plates, and rate-controlled drinking cups.
Updated kitchen necessities would be a helpful way to improve the lives of our persons served and support them in working on various activities of daily living. Any contribution will allow us to replace and refresh these commonly used items of home.
Adopt-A-Home
Project Details
Opportunities Unlimited's Residential and Rehabilitation services (ICF/CNRS) support individuals living in nine of our homes. Two of these homes have been remodeled this year which has been an exciting organizational project. While OU makes every effort to take pride in our homes and facilities with regular maintance and care, help is needed to renovate our homes with furniture and other items to update the homes of those served.
Our "Adopt-A-Home" project will help update our homes with furniture that is durable and accessible for everyone. Furniture such as sofas and recliners are needed as well as new end tables, lamps, and other home decor to provide a fresh and renovated look. Household staples including pots and pans are always needed as there are some items that are replaced frequently.
The home remodels that OU has completed look wonderful and have been enjoyed and appreciated by those who live there. This "Adopt-A-Home" project would allow us to extend updates to all members residing in our facilities, something that would benefit our persons served and be greatly appreciated.
Therapy Equipment
Project Details
Opportunities Unlimited (OU) has a team of therapists who provide speech language pathology, physical therapy, and occupational therapy services to persons served residing at OU. To enhance these therapeutic services, additional equipment such as a tilt table, Omnicycle, and Oculus Virutal Reality is being requested with funds from the Siouxland Big Give on October 5th! This equipment could be used by all inidividuals at OU, providing various options for members including range of motion of upper and lower extremeties, provision of biofeedback, improve weight bearing of the lower limbs, facilitate antigravity exercise of the limbs, and record and measure behavioral responses to ecologically valid stimulus environments. As technology advances, Opportunities Unlimited seeks to utilize this equipment to improve the rehabilitation and outcomes for persons served.
Annual Angels
Project Details
Annual Angels is a program supported by employees and community members to allow funds for persons served to access needed items or activities. Those residing in OU homes receive very limited funds from Medicaid that are stretched thin when considering monthly recreational activities and personal care products and items. During these unprecedented times, new stresses have been placed on the lives of our persons served as they have been home bound since April. This has faciliated incredible creativity on the part of employees and persons served to continue striving towards goals that enhance their quaility of life. The purchase of beds, shoes, winter coats, craft supplies, yard games, and new therapy equipment has impacted many lives as a direct result of the Annual Angels program.
Annual Angels
Project Details
Annual Angels is a program supported by employees and community members to allow funds for persons served to access needed items or activities not covered by Medicaid that may enhance their quality of life or aid in reaching his or her goals. Persons served have limited resources and this program helps purchase necessary items that the family cannot afford or opportunities for community integration and participation in activities and events. Several employees participate in this program as they are able to witness firsthand the needs of persons served and how valuable these funds can directly impact one's life.