Karen was born with Down syndrome, but that didn’t stop her from swimming the English Channel at age 23, graduating from Portland Community College with honors, or starting her own foundation. Karen, 29, now gives motivational speeches throughout the United States about reaching goals through positive expectations.

The luncheon, “Imagine the Possibilities – Navigating Life’s Currents and the English Channel,” is open to the public. Individual tickets are $30 each. Table sponsors are $250 (includes seating for 10 and corporate signage).

Karen is excited to bring her inspirational message to the Twin Cities. “I know that everyone has differences. But most people can hide their differences better than people like me,” Karen says. “I am trying to help myself, and others too, overcome challenges so that some day, our differences won't matter as much.”

Opportunity Partners is a Twin Cities nonprofit organization providing employment, housing and educational services to 1,300 people with developmental disabilities, brain injury, autism and other special needs. Kraus-Anderson, the luncheon’s presenting sponsor, has partnered with Opportunity Partners in providing employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

Kraus-Anderson is a company that takes diversity seriously. Kraus-Anderson works with a number of organizations and sources through which it recruits minorities, women and persons with disabilities to create a culturally richer and more diverse workplace.

Last year, Kraus-Anderson was named Large Metro Employer of the Year by the Minnesota Rehabilitation Association’s Job Placement and Development Division for its work with persons with disabilities and its willingness to make accommodations to assist individuals.

For reservations or more information, contact Cindy Green at (952) 912-2492 or cgreen@opportunities.org. More information is available online at http://www.opportunitypartners.org