The Opportunity Tree’s Vision:

The Opportunity Tree is committed to promoting the development of a society that fully embraces individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities through inclusion, advocacy and opportunities.

The Roots of The Opportunity Tree

For 60 years, The Opportunity Tree has been committed to providing quality, individualized support to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in a dynamic, innovative and creative environment.

In 1955, the Arizona Society for the Brain Injured was founded with the goal of giving children the opportunity to develop the capabilities to live happy and fulfilling lives.

In 1963, the organization that would eventually become The Opportunity Tree was created when the Arizona Society for the Brain Injured and the Self Aid Workshop merged. The resulting organization was called Arizona Foundation for the Handicapped.

In 1970, our Casa Grande center opened, expanding our impact to Pinal County, Arizona.

In early 2017, to keep up with the times, Arizona Foundation for the Handicapped was officially renamed “The Opportunity Tree”. To signal the fact that our Members always come first, this name was chosen by a Member. It comes from the Member’s idea to call us “The Red Tree”. Our community put post-it notes on a wall with their suggestions, and this was chosen, so we don’t know who specifically came up with this name. Later, in a quiet moment, we realized that “The Red Tree” was the large tree in the courtyard of our Phoenix campus, blooming vibrantly with red blossoms in late spring. Through so many iterations of this organization, this tree has remained steadfast as part of our community, just like many of the Members we serve. It reminds us that we have a great responsibility to serve our community. 

In 2018, The Opportunity Tree began offering a Youth Transitions Program (Tree Fort!), allowing us to come full circle to embrace our history of serving the youth into the future.

Also in 2018, our City of Maricopa campus was founded, further building upon our historic ties to Pinal County.

In 2020, we fielded our first Special Olympics team. This program started in earnest with a group of 15 Members playing Special Olympics Basketball. In that game, a Member came up with the idea to call the team “Fireslammers” in honor of playing hard and slamming baskets. Today, the mascot is a central part of who we are, and the team has over 75 athletes.

In 2021, we officially opened our newest campus in Avondale, helping extend our impact to the Western Valley of greater Phoenix.

In 2022, in partnership with Hospice of the Valley, we created a cutting-edge, first-of-its kind Supported Aging program, which, through innovative programming, supports Members through their Golden Years, while tracking, slowing, and preventing signs and symptoms of dementia. This program now serves Members in both Maricopa and Pinal counties.

Today, we proudly serve hundreds of individuals (Members) across Arizona, aged 14 and up, through a holistic array of services that include after school and summer programs for youth, adult day programming, competitive employment services, and community living.