Opportunity Rox

Opportunity Rox is committed to giving foster youth a nurturing environment in which each child builds optimism, fortitude, and skills for an enriching and fulfilling life. Each youth in Opportunity Rox will gain lasting friendships with fellow participants, express ideas through artistry, reside in a safe and stable home, serve as a responsible citizen, and become self-sufficient.

Sixty foster children will arrive for camp in the summer of 2012. These children will come from the foster care system in Central Indiana. A small cohort will advance to Opportunity Rox. These children will learn skills and values in artistic expression, outdoorsmanship, community service, financial management, and teamwork. They will gather for camps and educational experiences from middle school through high school.

The program will start at Bradford Woods, a retreat tucked into the hills near Mooresville and Martinsville, and the Art Sanctuary, an art learning center in Martinsville. Run by Indiana University, Bradford Woods features cabins, rope courses, horses, a lake, and experiential activities. The Art Sanctuary teaches painting, pottery, and photography, and exhibits local artists’ work. Each year, the youth will return to these sites, and they will also visit art studios and museums, colleges, places of employment, and centers of government. They will receive guidance in life skills as they progress toward graduation.

To learn more about Opportunity Rox, read the year-by-year details or contact the Care for Kids Foundation’s director, Kate Morgan, at (317) 257-5437.

Details

OpRox Year 1

Twenty children from the summer camping experience will also enjoy a Fall Family weekend, a Winter Weekend, and a second camping week-long experience in the spring of the following year.

In addition to participating in the camping activities, the cohort of twenty youth will have eight additional experiences together, such as attending cultural events, having special dinners, and visiting landmarks that would normally be beyond their financial means.

OpRox Year 2

The twenty youth will return for a second year summer camping experience, Fall Family weekend, Winter Weekend, and spring camping week. They will pursue their curricula designed to help them define a clear and meaningful purpose in life. They will also engage in eight field experiences, as in year 1.

OpRox Year 3

The youth will return for a Year 3 summer camping experience, a winter week, and a spring week. They will develop self-sufficiency and life skills via special programs designed to give them exposure to banks, universities, and other financial and educational institutions.

OpRox Year 4

The youth will enjoy a Year 4 summer camping experience, a winter week, and a spring week. They will also travel to major cities in other states to gain a broader world view and further inspiration about how they can engage in active and fulfilling roles in society.

X Space

At the youth near high school graduation, they will enter X Space, a collaborative community center that features a learning center, athletic facility, and community garden.

X-Roads of America Guitar Festival

The X-Roads of America Guitar Festival will raise money for Opportunity Rox. The springtime event will feature local and national artists performing at a concert venue in downtown Indianapolis.