Sunset Park

Sunset Park non-profit helps high school dropouts

Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow to hold open house events

February 11, 2014 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle
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A Sunset Park-based non-profit organization that has assisted thousands of troubled teenagers get back on the right path in life is searching for more young people to help.

Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow (OBT) recently hosted its first “Change Your Future” event with a goal attracting young people between the ages of 17 and 21 who are currently not working and not in school, to enroll into its Youth Education and Job Training Program.

OBT will also hold two Open House events on Feb. 18 and March 11, at 6:30 p.m., at its Sunset Park headquarters, at 783 Fourth Ave.

Founded in 1983 by Sister Mary Franciscus, a Catholic nun who lived in Sunset Park, OBT offers a variety of services, including classes for high-school dropouts seeking GED diplomas, college prep courses, internships with businesses, public speaking lessons, job interview tips and other types of assistance. At the completion of the program, participants are provided with job placement assistance, college access, and extensive job and college retention support after placement.

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“The mission of Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow is to help disadvantaged youth and adults recognize their own self-worth, and advance towards self-sufficiency and financial security through job training, academic reinforcement, improved life skills, job placement and support services,” reads the mission statement on the organization’s website.

Since it was founded 31 years ago, OBT has helped thousands of young people go back to school or find jobs, according to Sunset Park community leaders. Franciscus died in 2005.

Last year, Angel Lopez, a OBT graduate and an up-and-coming sports apparel designer, announced that he would donate a percentage of the profits generated by his company, Novato Sports Apparel, to the organization.

“They helped me big time,” he told the Brooklyn Eagle at the time. “OBT is the foundation for the business world for me,” he said.

For more information on the Open House events, call Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow at 718-369-0303.

 


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