Opportunity Enterprises Respite Center Capital Campaign Receives Boost from Anonymous Donors

​October 2021 – Northwest Indiana: On September 8, Opportunity Enterprises held a special press conference announcing the bold plan of a new Respite Center to be built on their Lake Eliza property.

​This location for the new Respite Center was selected in part because of the available land and its beauty, and also because of greater plans to develop such property providing more services to individuals with disabilities and their families.
 
“At the time we announced our capital campaign for this amazing project, OE with the support of our Board and many major donors, achieved 60% of our $4.7 million goal,” states Kacie Ensign, chief development and communications officer. “What we did not expect so soon after this announcement was a matching gift that is changing the trajectory of this campaign in such a positive way,” Ensign exclaims further.
 
The matching gift to which Ensign is referring is a $750,000 matching gift made by two anonymous donors. “Jane Kobak, our donor relations manager, has been working closely with these two donors. They have fully examined the project and its sustainability plan. Their generosity is inspiring, and they hope their matching pledge will encourage others to support this important project. The sooner we get it built, the sooner we can serve our region even better,” Ensign explains.
 
OE’s capital campaign to build a Respite Center is particularly important when considering the following statistics:

• Parents of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities provide, on average, 57 hours of care per week. This is on top of care provided to possible other children in the household and/or career responsibilities.
• Caregivers suffer from depression at twice the rate of the general population because they typically put the needs of others before their own.
• 83% of such households struggle to find friendships and inclusive community experiences.
• Locally, in Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties, 11,702 families have a child under the age of 34 are diagnosed with a cognitive disability.

 
“Respite care is an important part of life for families who care for loved ones with intellectual and developmental disabilities. OE wants to share this importance within Northwest Indiana and how Opportunity Enterprises is providing a solution for so many families within our region and beyond. Consider how most families need a break from their children or loved-ones. Such a break is usually made through a simple phone call to a grandparent or aunt with a request of taking over for a few hours. But when you are caring for an individual with disabilities, the options for “taking a break” are limited to non-existent. The need for respite relief is great and families travel out of their zip code to find such care. OE is a solution for so many families,” states Kacie Ensign.
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As for Jane Kobak she could not be more thrilled. “When talking with these two donors, it became clear they more than understand the need for respite relief in our Northwest Indiana region. They both want to be part of a solution for so many families, and they are giving others an opportunity also to be part of the solution by matching their gifts dollar for dollar. As a result of their generosity, OE is one step closer to bring the vision of the Respite Center into reality.”
 
OE plans to break ground on the Lakeside Respite Center in spring of 2022. For more information regarding amazing project or how you can become involved, or how a gift to the campaign will be matched, contact Kacie Ensign or Jane Kobak by calling (219) 464-9621 or by emailing [email protected] or [email protected]. You can also learn more by visiting oppent.org/buildingopportunities.
 
About Opportunity Enterprises, Inc.
For more than 50 years, Opportunity Enterprises has worked to maximize the self-sufficiency and enrich the quality of life for individuals with disabilities. OE is in the business of amazing people serving nearly 1,500 people annually with disabilities in Northwest Indiana with over 350 staff and hundreds of volunteers.