[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 132 (Monday, September 28, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1838-E1839]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  IN RECOGNITION OF OPPORTUNITY, INC.

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. JOHN EDWARD PORTER

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 28, 1998

  Mr. PORTER. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to recognize 
Opportunity, Inc., an outstanding organization located in Highland 
Park, IL. This is truly a remarkable enterprise and a magnificent 
example of the initiative needed to help people move from welfare to 
work and a better life.
  Opportunity, Inc. is a unique, not-for-profit contract manufacturer 
that employs 150 persons, most of whom have developmental, physical 
and/or emotional disabilities. Founded in 1976 by local construction 
executive John Cornell, who still serves as an Emeritus member of the 
Board of Directors, the company will hold its annual Handicapable 
Leadership Award Dinner in Chicago on October 6th. The keynote speaker 
will be Ken Bode, PBS Senior Correspondent, moderator of Washington 
Week in Review and Dean of the Northwestern University Medill School of 
Journalism.
  The company's mission is twofold: (1) to provide a mainstream plant 
environment in which handicapable people can work and earn a paycheck 
as well as the dignity that comes from being employed productively on a 
full-time basis; and (2) to provide its private sector customers with 
the best possible quality, price and service.
  As everyone understands, budget constraints compel us to look for 
ways to effectively address important needs without government 
subsidies, and Opportunity, Inc. is leading the way in this regard. A 
model of community response and innovation, the company demonstrates 
how competitive and productive handicapable employees can be. 
Opportunity, Inc. built and continues to operate the nation's only not-
for-profit, certified class 100,000 ``clean rooms'' for medical and 
surgical packaging.
  When I visited Opportunity, Inc., however, I learned that its 
business success, while impressive, pales in significance to the 
positive contributions it has made to its employees' lives. I 
experienced firsthand how proud, dedicated and competitive they are. As 
one man

[[Page E1839]]

said to me, ``Congressman, all we need is a fair chance to compete. 
That's what we get there at Opportunity and just look at the results!'' 
Clearly, Opportunity, Inc. is an organization that lives up to its 
name.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to represent a congressional district that 
includes enterprises of this caliber. It is my pleasure to salute the 
employees, management and directors of Opportunity, Inc. on the 
occasion of their annual dinner, and to extend my personal 
congratulations to Raymond J. Geraci, Mayor of Highland Park, Illinois, 
who is the recipient of this year's Handicapable Leadership Award for 
20 years of service.

                          ____________________