[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 7245]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   RECOGNIZING OPPORTUNITY PARTNERS FOR 60 YEARS OF SERVING MINNESOTA

  (Mr. PAULSEN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PAULSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate a long time 
Minnesota nonprofit organization, Opportunity Partners, for serving the 
needs of developmentally disabled adults for 60 years. The latest 
statistics reveal that only 33 percent of Americans aged 18 to 64 with 
disabilities are employed.
  The founders of Opportunity Partners recognized the many challenges 
the disabled encounter when trying to integrate into the workforce, so 
they acted, creating an organization that gives ongoing support to 
people with disabilities, helping them lead independent and fulfilling 
lives.
  In 1953, Opportunity Partners was serving 15 teens with disabilities. 
And now today, the organization is reaching over 1,700 people and 
equipping them with the work skills and the training these individuals 
need to gain successful employment.
  I have toured this amazing operation myself. I have seen first hand 
the lives that are impacted and affected by Opportunity Partners. The 
staff and the volunteers are dedicated to empowering others through a 
simple, but powerful, mission--to help those with disabilities to live, 
learn, and work.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to send my congratulations and a thank you to all 
those at Opportunity Partners for serving Minnesota.

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