Music lovers and education advocates! Mark your calendars for Saturday, September 21st for a "country club cowboy evening under the stars" as Opportunity School's annual fundraiser, LIPS, returns to Arts in the Sunset — with a phenomenal live band, Silverada. Formerly known as Mike and the Moonpies, they have been a Texas party, alt-country staple for more than two decades. And they're celebrating the 31st anniversary of LIPS this year! To hear the full interview with Jill Goodrich, click the blue link at the top of this page.
Sponsorships are still available, so reach out to set yours up. They run from $150 to $10,000 and include open bar, food and entertainment. Guests must be 21 to attend.
ABOUT OPPORTUNITY SCHOOL (from their website): The inspiration for Opportunity School began in the summer of 1968 with members of a First Presbyterian Church Sunday School class. They were searching for a meaningful way they could make a difference in their community as an expression of their deepening faith in Christ. After studying Elizabeth Conner’s book Journey Inward, Journey Outward, Elaine Edwards, asked the group to research needs in the Amarillo community.
After much discussion and research, the Sunday school class decided to address a serious but little-known community problem: young children from low-income families who lacked basic learning skills and experiences entered school unprepared for academic achievement and were unable to catch up to their peers. The class decided to open a school for preschoolers from low-income families to provide high-quality early education.
OPPORTUNITY SCHOOL PROVIDES affordable, high-quality, early childhood education and caring family support during the early years, from birth to five, primarily to children from low-income families at our two Amarillo campuses. We are a Texas Rising Star 4-Star provider, accept CCS, and have a sliding scale based on income.
OPPORTUNITY SCHOOL IS a nonprofit organization in Amarillo, Texas, created in 1969 by volunteers from First Presbyterian Church to address a community need - children entering school unprepared for academic achievement because they lacked basic learning skills and experiences. Many of these kids never caught up to their peers, until the creation of Opportunity School, which since its formation, has been able to provide more than 5,000 at-risk children with opportunities to learn and receive an excellent foundation for school and life.
OPPORTUNITY SCHOOL EXISTS BECAUSE research shows that high-quality early learning experiences help children achieve success in school and life.
OPPORTUNITY SCHOOL BELIEVES IN EXCELLENCE FOR EARLY LEARNING because early learning creates a foundation for a lifetime.
OUR MISSION: Through high-quality early childhood education (years 0-5) and caring family support, Opportunity School equips low-income children and their families to succeed in school and in life.
OUR VISION: Our vision is a community where today’s young children become lifelong learners and tomorrow’s responsible and contributing members of their families and society.
WHO WE SERVE: Opportunity School serves primarily low-income children, ages six weeks to five years old, and their families in Amarillo. The total number of children and parents served at Opportunity School is approximately 383 (unduplicated). Ninety-six percent of these families are low-income which means they qualify for free or reduced meals according to USDA guidelines.
