Opportunity Neighborhood

I worked for Ames lake - Opportunity Neighborhood as an intern with the summer camp and it was a good experience for me. I really enjoyed it because I got to try and learn new things. When I was younger, I came to Ames After Hours and it was fun.

This is an organization with incredible integrity that does critical work for our local community. I am proud of the long standing service that they provide to children and their families particularly.

I have witnessed this organization's work off and on over the past 15 years. I have seen consistency and a quality sense of mission throughout. The programs are developed to enhance the lives of children and families living in large apartment complexes. The reactions from parents show joy and confidence when participating in programs. The records also show families stay in one place longer when there are supportive programs. This provides stability emotionally and financially. The staff are caring and supportive as families encounter struggles. Single moms have often expressed that they would be uncomfortable in places that did not have a program like this.

I have been a board member with Opportunity Neighborhood for over 12 plus years. They have never swayed from Its mission to support families and strengthen neighborhoods within affordable housing communities, with goals to increase community safety, housing stability, and opportunities for family success. Opportunity Neighborhood truly cares about all members residing within the affordable housing communities that it serves.
It is my hope that Opportunity Neighborhood will be able to increase funding and support from corporate partners and individuals to a level that will allow it to continue to develop new programs for youth and family success while continuing to improve those core programs that have made Opportunity Neighborhood the organization that it is today.

My name is Drew and I work with Scouts BSA. We've had the pleasure of working with Opportunity Neighborhood for several years now. Here's what our staff has to say about Chan and her team:

"All of the staff I've worked with at Ames have been great and super helpful! Throughout the summer, they've been attentive to the kid's needs and do their best to keep them engaged with our program in a non-threatening and encouraging way. The kids seem to truly respect and admire them!

Through my experience with Anna, Chan, and Onie virtually, I can tell they care that each kid feels heard and included. I love how they focused the beginning of each program on acknowledging each participant, their current feelings about their day, and sending thoughts and good vibes to those that wanted to share something going on in their life. The staff's participation was always encouraging for the kids and gave them confidence to think critically about the information I provided during program. "

"The Ames program has the most fantastic staff and students I have worked with. I am amazed by the care and intelligence the kids put into their work. Chan, Onie, and Anna all are so dedicated to making sure that the kids are engaged, in a positive head space, and working together as a team."

I work with Orange Treet and we supplied the food for the event. It was a great experience to work alongside Opportunity Neighborhood at Ames Lake. Being able to bring some normalcy back to the community after not being able to connect with one another for so long due to the pandemic made this event really special. It was also great experiencing first hand and seeing how the community responded to this event in such a positive way - let us know that we need more community events like this in the future! Thank you so much for allowing us to be a part of your National Night Out celebration. We appreciate your program and hope to be back next year.

I worked with program staff here throughout the summer to deliver supplementary programming. Everyone there was kind, welcoming, and accommodating. It's a really cool program and I want to see it continue!

I had a great time serving at Opportunity Neighborhood Ames Lake as a Summer Reads Literacy VISTA this summer! The summer camp I helped with had a fantastic staff that worked incredibly hard on putting together our program every day and the students were great to work with. The organization was always welcoming to the community we served and it was clear that they had a good relationship. I’m proud to have helped with their work at Ames lake.

Perry Lofquist and the ON Courtesy Patrol team are extremely valuable to our tenant relationship program,and we appreciate the work they do.

Great service for any community! It has made such a positive impact in our community, using Opportunity Neighborhood. The staff we work with is professional and super responsive. Our residents are also so happy to have this service for our community. Thank you!

I loved volunteering with Opportunity Neighborhood! The staff members are exceptional people, dedicated to serving and enriching the community. Excited to see what the future holds for this organization!

Opportunity Neighborhood is a great nonprofit that makes a positive difference in the lives of children and families living in affordable housing in the Twin Cities!

This is a great nonprofit organization that provides many services for their residents, including both adults and youth. Also, they provide a security service for the safety of their residents. They engage community groups and organizations into the services they provide.

We really appreciate their courtesy patrol! They have really helped to establish a community environment that makes our residents feel safe and seen.

We have been using Opportunity Neighborhood courtesy patrol at our luxury community in Uptown Minneapolis for about six months now and I can't say enough how pleased we are! Even during times of great turmoil including riots and break- ins happening literally all around us, our patrol, Travis, has stood strong and done his duties night after night helping everyone in our building feel comfort during such unrest. We thank Opportunity Neighborhood and Travis for the commitment and the excellent work!

This past year I worked for the Ames lake after school program and the summer program as the literacy intern. It was an amazing experience as I got to see the kids/students grow in their literacy along with learning different ways of how to communicate with the students. The program allows the student to have a different kind of fun / learning experience that they probably wouldn’t do at home. This summer was a rare summer as the summer program had to be done online, however we were able to manage it and the kids made it so much easier by staying so patient with the staffs.
The staff members are so caring, understanding and welcoming. Ames lake has an amazing team who are always ready to help when it is needed.
I definitely will come back in the future to help out any way that I can.

I had a chance to work with Opportunity Neighborhood last year as a teen staff lead and I am so glad I was part of this amazing experience!

Both students and supervisor were all welcoming and kind and I hope the program continues to grow!!

-Thomie

We were lucky to come across Opportunity Neighborhood, and met Ms. Chan—the absolutely awesome Resident Services Coordinator! She is so friendly & her eagerness to help is so sincere, which made coming to her for any assistance and/or resources very comfortable. We feel welcome, and that’s such a nice feeling to have.
Through Chan, we found the Birth To Five program, which is led by Ms. Terri, who is just as great! We looked forward to meeting every week; it gave my toddler the opportunity not only to socialize, but learn and acquire new skills which she seems to enjoy very much (indicative by her not wanting to leave when it was time to say good bye). I can tell much effort from Terri and staff goes into providing a safe and fun learning environment for my child and for many others. Thank you to everyone at Opportunity Neighborhood! You guys are the best!

I had a great experience working with Opportunity Neighborhood this summer! The children's summer program was well organized and welcoming, even with everything being fully remote this summer. The staff were all very kind and helpful to me when I worked here, and it seemed clear that the staff had great relationships and communication with the parents. The staff were great at being creative, flexible, and encouraging to the kids, and the kids seemed excited to be at camp. Although I only worked here for eight weeks, I could tell that this is a tight-knit, energetic, and welcoming community.

I had a great time volunteering at Opportunity Neighborhood! Chan and Anna are very helpful and kind, and all of the staff put a lot of time and effort into providing the best possible lessons and activities for students. Although I joined the Opportunity Neighborhood team while all lessons were transitioning to be online, the team worked hard to make sure that every day was structured and expectations were clear for both students and staff. I really liked working with the teachers to put together material packets for each student to do fun crafts and activities at home, led by instructional videos created by the teachers. It was great to meet students in Zoom calls, and it was easy to see that every child felt included and cared for by the staff. Overall, I had a wonderful experience!

I worked as a Literacy Intern and Summer Camp Teacher for Opportunity Neighborhood at the Ames Lake site and loved my experience! The staff and organization itself were extremely friendly and helpful to the community, always answering questions, helping out residents and providing many different programs to meet the needs of the families. One of the fantastic programs that I was a part of was the Ames Lake Summer Camp. Students were able to participate in partnership organizations, such as Scouts, St. Paul Public Library, Art Mobile, Youthprise Nutrition program and St. paul Police P.A.L. program. Students also attended field trips that enriched their learning and skills. We took them to a movie theater, water park, roller skating rank, library and wilderness inquiry, and the Midtown Global Market in which many of students have never gone or experienced before. Opportunity Neighborhood provides so much of their time connecting with other organizations to give back to their community and it was such an amazing experience to be part of the Opportunity Neighborhood team in helping assist students and families.

I was a Summer Reads VISTA in summer 2018. I happily reflect upon the caring, communicative staff that created a positive environment for staff and learners alike. One of the best locations I have been placed at for Summer Reads.

I often visit the Ames location for birth to five program (which I love and have recommended to all my friends and family members!!!) and recently attended their National Night Out and it was amazing. My family all attended and it was such an experience to remember. All the staff is so helpful, especially Chan. I am so blessed to be able to have access to such great programs.. I hope they stick around forever! We are so lucky to have them!!

Opportunity neighborhood is a wonderful place to be. All the staff work together to make sure that the kids are having fun and learning. I should know I was one of those staff over the summer as a VISTA it was such a amazing experience for me and I really enjoyed it.

I have worked closely with Opportunity Neighborhood for several years now. I have seen first hand what their efforts have done to help change a neighborhood (Gardenview Apartments) from a very high area of crime to one that has a very low crime rate. I have seen what their efforts with coordinating National Night Out has meant to that complex and the relationships it has built. The security they provide on a regular basis during the evening and late night hours has been very efficient and professional. It has helped greatly in reducing police calls for service. The Courtesy Patrol have been easy to work with and provided information and assistance to the public safety department that has been very valuable. The additional programs and outreach that Opportunity Neighborhood has offered the youth in this neighborhood is also extremely valuable.

I had a really good experience. One of my best memories here is going on field trips with friends.

I absolutely loved working here no complaints was sad to leave and would gladly work here again !!

I loved my times at opportunity neighborhood. The kids are so easy to approach and the relationships you build with the kids are amazing. I enjoyed it because they had a set schedule. If the routine changed everyday, I think it would’ve been really unorganized, but it was always organized and the activities that were done always engaged the students. I enjoyed it so much that after my program with them ended, I went back to volunteer before school started.

I continue to be honored to serve as a Board Member for Opportunity Neighborhood, an organization that focuses on creating safe and stable neighborhoods through onsite programming and services such as onsite courtesy programs that focuses on solving problems within the community vs having escalated to police. In addition, safe and affordable housing communities are more likely to thrive when the families have access to out-of-school time/youth intervention, safety initiatives, information and referral, community events and special initiatives. All of which Opportunity Neighborhood has. I recently had the pleasure of attending one of their special events where children were exposed to both the history and art of break dancinng, including the children learning the dance moves themselves. It was pure joy to show how the children expressed themselves, had fun and most importantly, demonstrated self confidence and willingness to try new things. These type of programs instill life lessons that will carry forward for these children as they grow, creating a foundation for success. So proud of the work Opportunity Neighborhood does. Keep it up!

The after-school program gives kids great opportunities to express their creativity and to learn important lessons. This benefits from and contributes to the vibrant community life at Ames Lake.

The kids are a cheerful bunch, always full of energy. The teenagers are always wanting to help and volunteer with the staff.

Ames Lake Opportunity Neighborhood is a wonderful community with caring, kind, and thoughtful families. The birth to 5 montessori class at the community center is especially great and a fun place for people to get to know each other and for kids to play together!

We, SPPD, have been partners with this organization for many years and I can personally say for myself, the last five years have been very beneficial for both sides. Look forward to many more successful years.

I have seen first hand as a board member the positive impact opportunity neighborhood has on children and communities. The staff is deeply committed to their work and the mission. We benefit as a community in so many ways by the services provided by the group.

Parents of low income families, especially single moms, rely heavily on programing that will help them be better parents. After school programs, academic and activities for children, family events are of tremendous support to struggling families. Children are happy to know they have a place to go and someone to interact with after school. Parents are able to stay at work and avoid loosing their jobs better. ONDC helps to make sure the pay checks are maximum. The best thing I have witnessed about ONDC programing is that staff is continually looking for better ways to bring stability to families at school, at work, and at home.

Opportunity Neighborhood was a wonderful and diverse place to volunteer at. The children were very energetic and the staff members are very helpful. The staff members inform you about situations or upcoming events that are happening in the neighborhood.

I consider myself very lucky to be able to witness how this nonprofit organization works on a day to day basis. The employees of this organization make a huge difference on the children in the Ames Lake Neighbor Community located in East Saint Paul. The staff works so hard to educate the children and help them achieve in school with tutoring after school and a bookmobile that comes to the community.

Not only does this organization help the children in the community but also the adults that need help finding resources for food, furniture and access to a computer.

I really enjoy watching how involved ONDC is with the children of Ames Lake Neighborhood. I like how they keep the children involved and how they all participate one way or another in the program.

I reside at Ames Lake and I have resided here for two years. I love the program that Kacee Moua is in charge of here at Ames Lake neighborhood. It is a very positive program and she is a great leader. Kacee is in charge of resident services and she is always positive and energetic and she is a very sweet and endearing person. The resident services program is about families as well as individuals both of which I think is great. Kacee and Lee(Kacee's assistant) are always very helpful and patient and they are both dedicated and work hard to make sure everyone feels welcome and comfortable and that is a very big plus for me.

The biggest contribution to increasing community safety at Garden View Apartments has been the community building. When people feel they are part of a community they take ownership of their community. As people take ownership they have a desire to be a contributing member to make their community better. As a result of the community building done by Opportunity Neighborhood people no longer become afraid to call the police when someone is behaving out of the norms of the community to they can preserve the safety and quality of their community.

I work in social services and frequently refer parents to the Ames Opportunity Neighborhood for family support and high quality child care. The Ames Opportunity Neighborhood after school program is always seeking new ways to offer learning, engagement and caring to the youth they serve. Kacee Moua is a great leader who is really the driver for innovation and improvement at this program.

I have seen Kris, Kacee and the team be intentional at collecting and looking at data to inform continuous quality improvement in their programs. Their commitment to quality and collaboration have made it a pleasure to work with them.

Kris and her team have been a delight to work with. In the past few month, the Twin Cities Mobile Market has been a new addition to the Garden View and we couldn't ask for a better group to people to work with. They truly care about the resident.

I have had the great pleasure to work together with Kacee Moua, Resident Services Coordinator, and Opportunity Neighborhood on an early childhood program called Birth to Five. The Birth to Five Early Childhood Program serves parents with young children and provides a space to grow, learn and develop community relationships. Kacee's professionalism and the care and attention she gives to her residents is exceptional. Kacee and the other staff at Opportunity Neighborhood clearly value their community!

ACES partnered with Ames Lake Opportunity Network to provide innovative field trips exposing 3rd-5th graders to post-graduate opportunities. Students had a blast visiting Metro State University and Century College. Staff were professional, organized, and maintained clear communication throughout planning and implementation process.

The children and staff were energetic and articulate. We hosted the students - elementary aged - for a campus visit and I was surprised at how engaged they were. The students asked many intellectual questions, were respectful, and engaged in all of our activities. The Opportunity Neighborhood staff also helped with activities and encouraged their students to ask questions. Because of the generous help from their staff, the campus visit went by smoothly.

I am glad to serve opportunity Neighborhood board.because this board can address complex issues and anticipate challenges and assessing risks, having diverse board from different background really helps diverse board allows for the opportunity neighborhood better anti-cipate and consider the concerns and perspectives of all key constituencies, I have confidence and trust to the board and executive director that they can delivery for their neighborhood.

This organization is a strong partner with our free summer lunch program located nearby their Garden View site. Both organizations enjoy cross marketing programs that meet the needs of lower income households. It is a good fit and a great partnership.

I worked for Opportunity Neighborhood at the Ames Lake location as a Youth Programmer for 9 months. It was an amazing learning experience for me. The staff are very supportive of each other, especially my supervisor Kacee Moua. I was also using my work hours at ON for hours in my internship as a Recreation, Parks and Leisure Studies major. Although, it wasn't structured to be an internship, Kacee offered to help me as much as possible. The overall program was great for teens and kids. As the programmer, I had to meet certain requirements such as covering certain learning and beneficial topics each month. We also followed the YPQA so that we had a quality-program. Each child and teen was offered a full meal so that they wouldn't go home hungry. This made Opportunity Neighborhood a home for a lot of teens and kids. I am happy to say I was once part of this organization.

Opportunity Neighborhood is an amazing place for kids to go after school! They provide homework help, and plan fun, constructive learning activities that the kids will enjoy! They cater to many different needs and you can really tell that the staff care for the kids, and are passionate about the service they are providing for them. Opportunity Neighborhood was a really fun place to work and I learned so much not just from the staff, but also the kids!

My church small group volunteered with Opportunity Housing for National Night Out. We had such a wonderful time meeting the staff and families that live in New Brighton. We are excited to work with them again!

As the Parent Education Coordinator for the Montessori Center of Minnesota, it has been an honor and a pleasure for our organization to partner with Opportunity Neighborhood for our weekly Birth to Five Early Childhood Program. I have been so impressed with the professionalism, leadership, resourcefulness and enthusiasm of Kacee Moua who serves as a co-coordinator of this successful program at the Ames-Lake Community Center. We look forward to our continued partnership with Opportunity Neighborhood as we work toward our common goal of supporting the healthy development of children and their families.

"Birth to Five Early Childhood Program" welcomes parents/caregivers and their children every week at Ames Lake Community Center. Children and the adults in their lives love to gather in the mornings to read, work, play and prepare food to share with each other.
Much of our success is thanks to the great people that run the center, specially Kacee Moua, Resident Services Coordinator. The staff is always kind and welcoming, the facilities are clean and beautiful and Kacee is amazingly helpful with planning, setting up, assisting the families and cleaning after the event.
Families around the neighborhood come together and strengthen their bonds as they learn about early childhood and find support in this program sponsored by the Montessori Center of Minnesota.
Thanks Opportunity Neighborhood!

Thank you Kacee for having an awesome and safe place for kids to learn, grow and make new friends. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to come in and have Girl Scout meetings, they are the best part of my week!

I had the opportunity to work with this group at our anti-bullying summit and it was phenomenal. Their staff and students were huge in the success of the summit. They helped with transitions as well as facilitation of the activities that the summit had to offer. They were energetic and out-going which really laid the foundation for the summit and the expectations for the participants. I think they were very important on what we wanted from the summit and to be more specific raised my expectations of what this could be in the future. The kids were open and honest and I think they allowed it to be a more intimate space for all. I would like to say that Kacee was also very important to the summit. She was like and extra arm with all the help she provided. I would have to say that she was very genuine about her intentions and what makes that so great is that we (as staff) fed off her energy.

Opportunity Neighborhood is a fantastic nonprofit. The work they do in the communities they serve has great value to youth and families. Their staff and board truly care about the quality of the work they do, and it shows.

I had a chance to observe the program for a day and it was a huge learning experience for me. Great youth workers utilizing best practices, maximizing moments, and building strong relationships with youth. The program was organized, staff were well-prepared, and youth were positive, respectful, and excited to learn. Ames Lake Summer Camp is the epitome of a well-run youth program that clearly is making a positive impact.

As part of a PayItForward MN opportunity, I got to know what Opportunity Neighborhood offers to kids, families, and communities in MN. I was particularly impressed with the Courtesy program. I appreciate when people can work through and resolve issues with greater understanding of similarities and differences. We are all on this planet together. Courtesy is universal as well.

I met with Perry a few months ago to discuss his ideas for bringing a community dinner to 2 of the apartment sites. He planned to host a meal 2 times per month at each site. I was thrilled to have our Nutrition Education program be invited to partner with Opportunity Neighborhood on this project. The Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program has been working with limited income families for over 40 years teaching how to make healthy, home cooked meals that are tasty, easy and low cost. The staff at both sites have been extremely helpful and supportive in working with our staff. We now have several adult learners at each site that are participating in a series of nutrition classes.