Face of Opportunity

Kate Alley, VP of Development at Opportunity House, talks with interns Erin Maguire and Elaine Atherholt . These girls worked both ends of the spectrum marketing the Opp Shop to seniors and students. Erin and Elaine share the benefits and lessons learned during their internship at Opportunity House.

Kate Alley interviews Chef Tim about his participation in the 14th Annual Souper Bowl benefiting Opportunity House. This event takes place at the Crowne Plaza in Reading PA on 4/18 at 5:30.

Carol Miller just can’t stop talking about Opportunity House. She is a board Member at Opportunity House but her service to this organization started back in the days when it was still the Reading Emergency Shelter. She recalls the days when the shelter only housed homeless men and takes us through the journey from inception as the South Of Penn Ministries to today.

Carol attributes the continual expansion of services that Opportunity House offers to many of the churches in Reading putting together teams of people to serve meals every week. The Organization is successful because of people in the community caring about people in the community. As a Board Member Carol spreads the news of the work at Opportunity House and drums up support for more volunteers.

The staff calls her a superstar and the kids call her Miss Bev. Kate Alley VP Development at Opportunity House and Robert Waters, the Daycare Manager talk with Bev Sanders, a superstar volunteer at Opportunity House since 2012.

Robert says when Bev walked in to volunteer with the kids one day and quickly became family. Today she is in charge of arts & crafts for all ages. She helps kids make cool gifts for all the Holidays. Bev shares the stories of appreciation and surprise from family members who are recipients of these gifts.

Bev has gotten so close to the kids she knits hats, mittens and sweaters for all the kids. Robert says the kids aren’t the only ones who look forward to Miss Bev visits. The staff truly appreciates the help she offers and the connections she has made with the kids.

Kate Alley introduces you to Marine Veteran Sid Samson. It was in the 1990’s when Sid first found himself homeless. He got assistance at the Reading Emergency Shelter, went to school and became a Certified Nursing Assistant. Sid went back to his hometown of Philadelphia and fell on hard times again. He recalled the love and assistance he received at the Reading Emergency Shelter so he returned. This time it was re-named Opportunity House. He talks about all the help he received through their Veterans Program. Today Sid is the proud owner of has his own house.

Klover Custis, Program Director of the SSVF Program at Opportunity House and explains the SSVF Program that Opportunity House offers in Berks, Lancaster and Schuylkill Counties. They received a $750,000 grant to help homeless veterans find a home and get them the assistance the need to address any life issues they may have. The program is receiving kudos from veterans and administrators

Kate Alley and Delia McLendon talk with Tracy Boggs about her experience at Opportunity House. Tracy and her daughter found themselves homeless and went to Opportunity House for shelter. She left and came back again when she realized she needed support services.

Tracy shares her success story. Through the assistance and resources she found at Opportunity House Tracy was able to set goals, go to school and get her life back together. Today she is self-sufficient, raising her 2 daughters while working at the Second Street Learning Center. Tracy says her case manager has always been there for her and she wants to pay it forward and help others.

Meet two interns from Kutztown University who chose to fulfill their internships at Opportunity House. Erin Maguire & Elaine Atherholt talk about what they are studying and the reasons they selected Opportunity House to complete their internship. Both have a public relations minor and they will be helping tell the story of all the facets of Opportunity House.

One of the newest projects is ‘Opp Shop’. Erin and Elaine will be spending their time making sure the community knows about this thrift store that sells donated items. The shop employs Opportunity House residents and all proceeds help support the services that Opportunity House provides.

Melissa Heydt is the VP Children’s Alliance Center does forensic interviews for sexually abused children. Using a multi-disciplinary team approach they schedule interviews with the child and his or her family in a very child friendly atmosphere. The Children’s Alliance Center works in tandem with law enforcement or Children and Youth Services.

Usually see about 400 children a year between the ages of 3 and 18. Melissa has been in this position with opportunity House for about 3 years and spent all her career working with abused children. Over the years she has found that it is important to take care of herself in order to have the energy to absorb the emotion of these very difficult cases.

Rob Waters are in charge of scores of children at the Daycare Center at Opportunity House. There are between 175 and 200 kids who attend the Second Street Learning Center. Rob started as an intern in school not realizing it would be his career.

He attended school to be an architect and joined an architectural firm upon graduation. Rob went back to visit the people he worked with at Second Street Learning Center. He says, “The greeting he received from the children made him realize that this is where I belong”.

15 years later Rob is the Daycare Manager and says, “knowing you are making a difference in someone’s life, pushes me to do what I do”. To this day he continues to see students he taught who come back as young adults to see him.

Delia McLendon started as a case manager at Opportunity House before moving into her current position as VP Shelter Services and Supportive Housing. Delia says, “Working here has made me more grateful for my blessings. Every night I go home I am just glad I have a key to open the door to the house where I live”.

The first thing a person does upon arrival at Opportunity House is sign a self-sufficiency contract. Delia says, “during intake we ask you how are you going to get out of here. It sounds harsh but when people arrive we want them to realize it is temporary and think about how to get back into the community”. It typically takes about 90 to 120 days for people to get back on their feet