Opportunity Connections, a Mid-Columbia nonprofit and a provider of support services for people with disabilities, began merging with a larger organization, Community Access Services, on April 1.
Rita Rathkey, executive director of Opportunity Connections, said, “Opportunity Connections has proudly provided support services in the gorge since 1967. We are excited to partner with Community Access Services to be able to continue providing these important services and assure their availability into the future.”
Opportunity Connections provides community access, employment support, and residential supports, as well as maintaining federal and state contracts to provide janitorial services to The Dalles Dam, Department of Motor Vehicles and others.
Through the merger, all services will be continued with the same personnel.
Carol Annala, Opportunity Connections board president, said, “As Opportunity Connections makes the merger to Community Access Services, the OC Board of Directors wants to acknowledge and thank the dedicated staff we have had the pleasure to work with since 1967. We know that change is hard but it was time to move forward with an organization like CAS to continue to maintain our mission statement of 'maximizing potential for people with disabilities.'
“Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the success of Opportunity Connections since 1967 and I hope you will continue your support as we merge with Community Access Services.”
The two organizations share a similar mission and service base. Community Access Services will begin providing much of the administrative support to Opportunity Connection’s local staff on April 1. Their service area, which currently includes Columbia, Multnomah, Clackamas, and Washington counties will now extend to Hood River, Wasco, and Sherman counties.
Anna Keenan-Mudrick, executive director of Community Access Services, said, “We are very excited to offer stability in services and in employment via this joining of nonprofit forces! CAS’ robust leadership and infrastructure support along with Opportunity Connections long history in the Gorge will create more opportunity for individualized, quality, person-driven services to Mid-Columbia citizens who experience intellectual and developmental disabilities. And it will enhance the support of OC’s highly valued, highly committed workforce.”
In mid 2020, the Opportunity Connections Board of Directors began looking for another organization with which to partner. Community Access Services stood out as not only geographically near but quite similar philosophically and operationally, said a press release. Representatives of the two organizations met over Zoom for several months before both boards approved the merger last fall.
Most of the changes will be nonapparent and will have the supportive staff and locations, said a press release. The Opportunity Connections name will be maintained as a DBA, although the operation in the Gorge will be a division of Community Access Services.
Pandemic challenges
Like many organizations, Opportunity Connections has struggled in the last year to maintain services.
“Our staff have been and continue doing a great job keeping our participants safe, and making sure they have needed supplies, prescriptions, groceries and their other needs met,” said Rathkey.
At the direction of the State of Oregon, group homes have been on restricted access. Participants are eager to resume many of the community activities they have enjoyed in the past.
Both Opportunity Connections and Community Access Services are keeping participants and staff safe, while providing as much community access as reasonably possible.
Following Oregon state guidelines, all group home residents and staff have been offered the vaccine and the majority of residents and staff have taken advantage of that opportunity.
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