The Opportunity Tree

Open for business!
The Opportunity Exchange is accepting new “customers” at our Avondale Campus!

Created by our Members and staff, The Opportunity Exchange is a campus based marketplace simulation by and for our Members doubling as a pre-employment training experience and a home for original artistry created in our Thunderbirds Makerspace. Our Members gain experiences in customer service, marketing, cashiering, inventory management, and general operations of small business ownership while also learning the business side of entrepreneurship and original creation.

The Opportunity Exchange is a joint venture between our SEEDS Employment Services, LEAF Adult program and Tree Fort youth program as just one of many initiatives helping our job seeking Members get ready for Competitive Integrated Employment. We’re getting to work in Avondale!

This past Friday, our Phoenix campus was gifted with a wonderful performance of the “Rabbit and Coyote” by Great Arizona Puppet Theater and Gaston Morineau from Chorizo Puppets.

Over 40 Members were in attendance for an afternoon of comedy, drama, creativity, passion and impactful story telling with a message. The experience was a wonderful capstone to the week and is a testament to the power of community partners connecting to enrich one another. 🎉✨

Thank you for a fantastic performance Jeffrey, Lisa and Gaston, looking forward to the next one!🌍💫

A call to Aktion!
The Opportunity Tree has launched our first official Kiwanis Aktion Club at our Phoenix campus!

With 2 service projects already under our belts that include making blankets for families and patients of and supporting the graduating class of our Aktion Club is all about supporting vulnerable populations in our community and promoting the development of a society that fully embraces individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Big thank you to (Southwest District of Kiwanis) for sponsoring us and leading the way and an even bigger thank you to our Club Members & Officers who are changing the world one project at a time.

Stay tuned, we’re just getting started and plenty more to come!

Ready to support The Opportunity Tree’s Kiwanis Aktion Club? Click on the link in our bio to donate and make a difference!

Cool in the pool 🏊💦
Soaking in the little moments and some sun rays🌞⛱️!

This weekend, a few of our Community Living Members hit the water to beat the heat, ride the waves and launch cannonballs off the diving board.

Taking time out to celebrate a summer staple and wishing everyone a Happy Monday from the pool! 🏝️ 🌊

Lighting up the holiday weekend 🎆!

Happy 4th of July weekend from The Opportunity Tree! Celebrating both our Nation’s and our own independence, Members and staff from our Phoenix and Maricopa campuses lit up the holiday weekend in true Tree fashion. Here’s to celebrating community, togetherness, inclusion, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Happy 4th!

✨ It was on fire! What? You didn’t hear about our Fireslammers End of Season Award Banquet?! Let us fill you in on the pandemonium!

🎉 Last Friday, over 200 Members, families, and staff converged upon our Casa Grande campus to celebrate the end of the 23/24 Special Olympics season. The campus was ablaze in our team colors, electrified atmosphere, and championship fervor.

The Fireslammer photo booth, DJ Robert Miguel’s dance contest, indoor hammer throw competition, and a Fireslammer feast for everyone in attendance led to the grand finale of individual Athlete awards and team speeches celebrating the season's accomplishment.

Big thank you to for all of your support including setting up, decorating, working the grill, handing out awards, firing up the crowd, rocking the photo booth, donating to the banquet, and being a part of the banquet itself. Thank you as well to Robert Miguel for providing the soundtrack of champions to the banquet and keeping the crowd moving!

Stay tuned for the 24/25 season as the Fireslammers add another 3 sports to the slate including Pickleball, Softball, & Floor Hockey. We’re going all the way next year…

Ready to support your hometown Fireslammers? Click on the link in our bio to donate and/or volunteer for next season!

Big thank you to City of Maricopa, Arizona - Government City Manager Ben Bitter for stopping by our Maricopa Campus to hang out with our Members, make some pizzas and catch some Tree vibes! The support of our cities is extremely important to the development of a society that fully embraces individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities through inclusion, advocacy and opportunities. Looking for services in Maricopa? Click the link in our bio to join The Opportunity Tree!

Grad season is here! 🎓📚

Please join us in congratulating our Tree Fort youth Members as they celebrate the milestone of graduating high school while embarking on the next chapter of their journeys. 🩷

Our Tree Fort youth program provides immersive, structured, and impactful programming for students ages 14 & up after school and during school breaks. 💫

Tree Fort also serves as a transition into our SEEDS employment services and LEAF adult programs and we are proud to say that each and every one of our current and recent grads are continuing their life journeys into adulthood with The Opportunity Tree.

Hats off to our grads and our leaders of tomorrow, the world is yours! 🌎

We had an incredible day filled with performances, music and memories at the The Phoenix Symphony today. Thanks to the Symphony’s outreach program, we were able to attend Steve Hackman’s “Resurrection Mixtape” - a unique combination of classical music and iconic 90’s Hip-Hop.

Over 100 Members from all of our campuses and Community Living homes attended the performance. We are so grateful to our partners at the Phoenix Symphony for making this experience possible, and for bringing classical music to our community!

The Opportunity Tree’s Scottsdale Arts Studio Arts Workshop series ended today after a year of dedicated creativity and hard work.

Members with a passion for art from all four of our communities have honed their skills and created a portfolio of work across different mediums.

Our studio artists mastered everything from clay to screenprinting & beyond and built upon the stories and scenes they came into the workshop with, reaching new heights.

Now that the workshop series is complete, the artists will work on learning the business of art, creating merchandise, websites & more to get their creations out into the community.

We are so grateful to , Laura Hales, and all other instructors for their dedicated partnership and commitment to helping our Members grow and thrive.

And...that’s a wrap! 🏐

We closed out our Fireslammers Special Olympics Arizona season in style at the 2024 State Volleyball tournament last week. 🙌

This year, our team has grown from 70 to almost 100 Athletes of all abilities competing from all four of our communities in 8 sports. The season lasts from October to May. 💜

Thank you to all of the coaches, staff, and Athletes who make it all possible - we’re going for Gold next year! 🏆

The Opportunity Tree lit up the Footprint Center last night to support our hometown Phoenix Suns! We’ll be back next season to bring it even louder and get El Valle to the championship 🌳🏆

Shout out to the Phoenix Suns/Phoenix Mercury Foundation for tickets to Game 4, Go Suns!

'We can barely pay them above minimum wage.' Our CEO, Kelli O'Toole, was interviewed as part of today's story on KJZZ Phoenix about the impact of Arizona's shortage of Direct Support Professionals on our organization and industry.

Read the full story ➡️ https://kjzz.org/content/1877115/direct-support-professionals-help-people-disabilities-arizona-has-so-few-its-crisis

We just bumped, set, & spiked our way to Gold at the Special Olympics Arizona Palo Verde Area Volleyball tournament!

Fireslammer Athletes from all four of our communities came together to rock the court with 6 Unified teams & over 40 Skills Athletes.

Seeya next week at State - we’re taking it to the championship!

TODAY is your last chance to give the gift of Opportunity with your 2023 Arizona Charitable Tax Credit! 💜

We are counting on your support to dream bigger & deliver best-in-class programs + services to individuals with intellectual disabilities of all ages in our community. 🌳

*Individuals can give up to $421, and couples filing jointly can give $842, and get a dollar-for-dollar credit off of their state taxes! Talk to a tax professional to determine the full implications of your donation.

https://theopportunitytree.org/how-you-can-help/donate/

It’s not too late to donate your AZ Charitable Tax Credit! ⏱️

Next Monday, April 15 is Tax Day, the final day to file your state taxes. Drive the power of your taxes for Opportunity this year by donating your Arizona State Charitable Tax Credit to support the best in programming for our Members; SEEDS Employment Services, Tree Fort youth program, LEAF adult services, Community Living homes, your hometown Fireslammer Nation, and more!

*Individuals can give up to $421, and couples filing jointly can give $842, and get a dollar-for-dollar credit off of their state taxes! Talk to a tax professional to determine the full implications of your donation.

https://theopportunitytree.org/how-you-can-help/donate/

We’re off to the races!

YOUR hometown Fireslammers conquered the Palo Verde area Special Olympics Track & Field competition this week. Track & Field is a fully adaptive experience, with categories & accommodations so that Athletes of all abilities can compete & thrive.

Categories included softball shotput, 100 meter walk, 100 meter wheelchair race, and 100 meter traditional sprint.

Best of all, in a first, one of our own Members suited up as the Fireslammer and brought the spirit like never before! Congrats Kharu on this exciting new chapter of our Fireslammer history!

It’s not too late to donate your AZ Charitable Tax Credit! Monday is Tax Day, the final day to file your state taxes. Drive the power of your taxes for Opportunity this year by donating your Arizona State Charitable Tax Credit to support Fireslammers Special Olympics Sports and the best in programming for our Members. Individuals can give up to $421, and couples filing jointly can give $842, and get a dollar-for-dollar credit off of their state taxes! Talk to a tax professional to determine the full implications of your donation.

A message from our CEO:

To our community,

I hope this message finds you well and filled with the same excitement and anticipation that I have as we celebrate Arizona Gives Day.

AZ Gives Day is more than just a day on the calendar; it’s a celebration of our shared commitment to making a positive impact in our community. It’s a day when individuals, businesses, and organizations come together to support the causes that matter most to us.

I am incredibly proud of the work we do here at The Opportunity Tree, and I am continually inspired by the dedication and passion of our supporters. Together, we have achieved remarkable successes, but there is still much more we can accomplish.

Today, I invite you to join us in this collective effort to create meaningful change.

Your support, whether through donations, volunteering, or spreading the word, makes a real difference in the lives of those we support.

Every contribution, no matter how big or small, helps us further our vision, of a commitment to promoting the development of a society that fully embraces individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities through inclusion, advocacy and opportunities, and reach even more individuals in need of support. Together, we can build a brighter future for our community and make a lasting impact for generations to come.

Thank you for your unwavering support and commitment to our cause. Together, let’s make this AZ Gives Day our most successful yet!

With gratitude,
Kelli O’Toole
CEO

https://theopportunitytree.org/how-you-can-help/donate/

A message from Neal Hallihan, COO of The Opportunity Tree:

To our community,

As we open the month of April in our 61st year of service, I am both humbled and proud to say that The Opportunity Tree is living out our vision of promoting the development of a society that fully embraces individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities more impactfully than ever.

Supporting over 250 individual Members across 4 campuses and 20 community integrated homes in 2 counties, while simultaneously transforming our communities into more inclusive and empowering spaces, is increasingly on full display at the Tree day after day.

Taken together, our intergenerational supports and services make living a full, independent, meaningful, and impactful life a reality for each of our current and future Members, at any and all stages of a person’s life cycle.

Tomorrow is AZ Gives Day and we understand that there are many opportunities to support our community, many causes that need our backing now more than ever, and many populations who will benefit from your time and resources.

Thank you for contributing in whatever way you can.

Giving to The Opportunity Tree this AZ Gives Day ensures that YOU are a part of our journey in building a society that fully embraces individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) through inclusion, advocacy, and opportunities - your contribution directly supports this vision in your very own community.

Our work is a daily affair; join us this AZ Gives Day in making the world a better place for people with intellectual disabilities and in turn, for us all.

With gratitude,
Neal Hallihan
COO

https://theopportunitytree.org/how-you-can-help/donate/

There are just FOUR days until Arizona Gives Day! ⏱️

Your donation of $200 is critical to our work of providing dynamic & innovative supports to over 250 individuals with intellectual & developmental disabilities across Arizona. ❤️

Here are just a few of the types of enrichment that your $200 donation can support ➡️

⭐Snacks and refreshments to fuel our Fireslammers Special Olympics team to the championship!
⭐Healthy Habits culinary enrichment programming

Ready to learn more? Visit our website to see how you can make a world of a difference this year with a donation to The Opportunity Tree.

https://theopportunitytree.org/how-you-can-help/donate/

There are just FIVE days until Arizona Gives Day! Your donation of $100 is transformative to our work of providing dynamic & innovative supports to over 250 individuals with intellectual & developmental disabilities across Arizona. ❤️

Here are just a few of the types of enrichment that your $100 donation can support ➡️

⭐Dedicated 1-on-1 Employment Supports
⭐Professional work apparel for our Members to succeed on the job

Make a plan of action to donate today! Visit our website to see how you can make a world of a difference this year with a donation to The Opportunity Tree. 💜

https://theopportunitytree.org/how-you-can-help/donate/

There are just SIX days until Arizona Gives Day! (Tuesday, April 2 - next Tuesday!) ⏱️

Your donation of $50 is critical to our work of providing dynamic & innovative supports to over 250 individuals with intellectual & developmental disabilities across Arizona. ❤️

Here are just a few of the types of enrichment that your $50 donation can support ➡️

⭐Snacks and refreshments to bring the party to life at our monthly dance
⭐A hands-on, immersive craft project for our Members in our Life Enrichment + Fulfillment day program

Visit our website to see how you can make a world of a difference this year with a donation to The Opportunity Tree.

https://theopportunitytree.org/how-you-can-help/donate/

Arizona Gives Day is just 7 days away! We are counting on YOUR support this year to continue providing dynamic, innovative, & transformative supports to people with intellectual & developmental disabilities across Arizona.

A donation of just $25 makes a world of a difference - here are just a few of the things that this donation could positively impact:

⭐Admission to community outings like the Aquarium, baseball game, the science museum, & so much more.
⭐Weekly, in-home, hands-on creative enrichment for our older adult Members through our Supported Aging program.

Visit our website to learn more & make your plan of action to donate this year on !

https://theopportunitytree.org/how-you-can-help/donate/

Guardians of Gold: The Fireslammers shined bright at the 2024 Special Olympics Guardian Games! 🏅

The Guardian Games is an annual tradition where Special Olympics delegations from across Arizona nominate their fiercest Athletes to participate in a series of games + challenges alongside Law Enforcement Officers, First Responders and sports heroes from Arizona’s biggest teams. Simulating drills, home run derbies, Family Feud competitions, field hockey matches, and more were all part of this unique Unified experience. The Fireslammers were joined by the Arizona Cardinals , Arizona Coyotes , Phoenix Suns , and fellow Special Olympics Arizona Athletes and coaches making for an unforgettable day!

Your support makes quality enrichment like this possible! It’s not too late to donate your AZ Charitable Tax Credit! Drive the power of your taxes for Opportunity this year to support Fireslammers Special Olympics Sports and more of the best in programming for our Members. Individuals can give up to $421, and couples filing jointly can give $842, and get a dollar-for-dollar credit off of their state taxes! Talk to a tax professional to determine the full implications of your donation.

https://theopportunitytree.org/how-you-can-help/donate/

Please join us in congratulating our friend DJ Raf on 25 years of throwing THE ultimate dance parties for the I/DD community! Thank you DJ Raf for celebrating this impactful milestone with us at our monthly Dance Fiesta in Phoenix. 💃

What started organically with DJ Raf bringing his talents to the Tree’s annual holiday party has become a high-impact monthly highlight for all of our Members across Arizona. It gives us the chance to engage in dance and movement therapy, build community, and simply have a great time leaving it all out on the dance floor. ❤️

Huge thank you to DJ Raf for bringing this enrichment to our Members, and for 25 years of helping people with disabilities increase quality of life on their own terms - drop a comment below and join us in congratulating the one and only DJ Raf! 🙌

⏩Supporting our Members has never been easier! Support us by:

-Donating your time through our volunteer opportunities.
-Quantifying your gift through our donation tiers. A donation of $100 for example provides 1-on-1 Member employment supports or new, professional work apparel for our SEEDS Employment Services Members.
-Gifting your Arizona Charitable Tax Credit and getting a dollar-for-dollar credit on your state taxes of up to $421 for individuals, or $842 for couples filing jointly.

https://theopportunitytree.org/how-you-can-help/donate/

Elizabeth is a Member of The Opportunity Tree’s Casa Grande campus, and a prolific artist. Her mediums include paper dolls and oil pastel illustrations. Through The Opportunity Tree’s partnership with Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, she has been participating in a first-of-its-kind workshop series designed to connect artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities with professionals to hone their skills as studio artists.

Outside of the workshops, she is a Member of our Life Enrichment & Fulfillment (LEAF) adult day program, engaging in dynamic & innovative experiences with our other Members. Recently, she gave our Casa Grande campus a colorful new identity with a gradient of dozens of pastel illustrations that she created. They span various cultural reference points, some showcasing iconic existing characters, some showcasing new characters she created from her own imagination, and some with reimagined versions of existing characters. We are grateful to have Elizabeth in our community, and for all of the color & creativity that she brings each day.

This year, we are calling on you to support The Opportunity Tree and our Members like Elizabeth through Arizona’s Charitable Tax Credit program. The program allows you to make a donation of up to $421 for individuals, or $842 for couples filing jointly and get a dollar-for-dollar credit on your state taxes! Consult a tax professional to understand the full implications of this donation. Donating your charitable tax credit allows The Opportunity Tree to continue providing best-in-class enrichment opportunities for our Members in dynamic and innovative environments. Support people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in your community this year with a Charitable Tax Credit donation!

https://theopportunitytree.org/how-you-can-help/donate/

Baaaaalliiin’ 🏀🌳🔥🏆!

YOUR hometown Fireslammers went all the way in Hoop City with pull up jumpers and lock down defense to take home Gold and Silver in ALL divisions at the Special Olympics Arizona 2024 Palo Verde Area Basketball Tournament on Friday! (are you really surprised at this point??)

Here’s a little history for you - we’re called THE Fireslammers because of Special O Basketball! Our team name was created and voted on by our founding basketball team of 7 Athletes back in 2020. Today, we count over 75 Athletes from across The Opportunity Tree, and the rest is history.

Unified, Team, & Skills divisions ensure that our Athletes of all ages and abilities are able to engage in meaningful competition and inclusion through sports, while going for the Gold! The Fireslammer Nation spans all 4 of our campuses and 20 homes while fostering opportunities for social connection, healthy habit building, physical wellness, self-actualization and some good ol’ fashioned interstate rivalries within the Special Olympics movement. Next up is State in March - the Fireslammers are baaaallin’ 🔥🏆!!

Ready to be a part of the Fireslammer Nation? Here’s your chance to drive your tax dollars for Opportunity and help our Members across Arizona experience the magic of Fireslammers Special Olympics sports. The Arizona Charitable Tax Credit allows you to make a donation of up to $421 for individuals, or $842 for couples filing jointly, and get a dollar-for-dollar credit on your state taxes! Consult a tax professional to understand the full implications of this donation.