Opportunity Village to move forward as “One Vision”

(Above) CEO Jeff Nichols, OV Board President Vickie Snyder, and Chief Development Officer Michael Mahaffey display the new One Vision logo on a banner.  -Submitted photo

On June 20, Clear Lake-based nonprofit organization Opportunity Village, started a new chapter in its history as One Vision.

The organization’s new name was officially launched at celebrations held in Mason City and Fort Dodge. The events were held at the North Iowa Events Center’s Kinney Building and at the Best Western Starlite Village Inn & Suites, in Fort Dodge.

“More than 50 years ago, our founders had a vision of a place where everyone was treated with dignity and respect - a place where people could connect and find purpose,” said One Vision CEO Jeff Nichols. “Our vision has always been to support people as they connect with purpose and discover meaning in their lives. Whether it’s helping people find jobs in their community, supporting them in homes that meet their needs and wants, or encouraging them to pursue their personal interests, our community still does this each and every day, in so many different ways. This is why I believe our new name will carry us into the future while still recognizing our past.”

Adopting a new name was a goal outlined in the organization’s five-year strategic plan. One Vision was selected following a months-long process that involved gathering feedback and input from staff, board members, community members, and people supported.

“In 1994, Handicap Village changed its name to Opportunity Village to better represent who we were as an organization,” Nichols said. “As our organization continues to grow geographically and our services continue to diversify, we needed to reaffirm our vision as an organization. We are no longer a single place separate from those around us.”

Moving forward as One Vision, the new name will unify services throughout the numerous Iowa communities in which the organization currently has a presence. It also reinforces the organization’s commitment to connecting people with their communities in the many new services and endeavors it has and will pursue.

“Above all, it strongly represents our commitment to the people we support as the driving force behind everything we do.” Nichols said.

One Vision was incorporated in 1966 and opened for services in 1971. It was founded by a group of Clear Lake individuals seeking to provide a place for people with disabilities to connect with one another and live with privacy, dignity and purpose. The organization’s founders accomplished this while also providing individuals a home located on an 80-acre campus in Clear Lake.

Over the years, services expanded beyond Clear Lake. In 1984, the organization began providing services in Mason City and eventually added organizations in Lake Mills, Garner, Humboldt, Eagle Grove, and Choices Made Independently in Webster City to its services areas.

In 2010, Northwoods Living and Northwoods Products & Services in Fort Dodge merged with OV. The organization currently provides services for 156 individuals and employs approximately 160 people in the Fort Dodge area.

In 2012, the landscape of how services were provided at OV changed as the organization began a process of transitioning individuals living in segregated group home settings to smaller homes located in communities of their choosing. This was done to comply with the Olmstead decision, a 1999 United States Supreme Court decision based on the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Supreme Court held that people with disabilities have a qualified right to receive state funded supports and

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services in the community rather than segregated facilities.

The organization currently provides services to more than 550 people in numerous locations across 30 different North Iowa communities. A majority of services are provided in community-based settings.

“I am truly excited about our new name, One Vision, because it symbolizes how our founders came together with a common vision and how that still helps guide our efforts today,” Nichols said. “As Opportunity Village did for a very long time, we will continue to do as One Vision —  supporting people in numerous ways as they connect with their individual purpose.”

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