Tracy and Marc Ruiz are excited for Opportunity Enterprises’ new respite center, hoping it will give Ethan, their 12-year-old son, and other kids with special needs a place to hang out.

“He is ready,” said Marc of their son, born with Down syndrome.

OE announced a $4.7 million capital campaign for the new 18,000-square-foot building Wednesday, to be built at 32 S. Fish Lake Road, overlooking Lake Eliza, in Valparaiso. It has secured funding for 60% of the project, hoping to raise the remaining $1.9 million from public donations.

Ground is scheduled to be broken in April, with an eight-month construction to follow, Ruiz said.

Plans call for an adult and children’s wing, secure entry, hoyer lifts for wheelchairs, 24/7 staffing, 21 beds for overnight stays, a lake-view area for dining and games, a recreation room, multiple living rooms, a multisensory therapeutic room, an outdoor deck, walkout basement, large central kitchen, wheelchair-accessible countertops and a handicap-accessible treehouse, according to the organization.

OE runs two respite centers in Lake and Porter counties, but those are “packed” with waiting lists, said CEO Neil Samahon. The planning process has been ongoing for seven years, others said.

The center was his “happy place,” where he could feel more independent, go see music or concerts, said David Barnes, 43, a client for several years. His mother, Lori Moulton, is a past board member.

Both centers are a place where parents can drop off their children for the day or an extended stay with one-on-one staffing for clients. Clients can socialize or go on

outings to town.

“We can provide those caregivers a break,” Samahon said.

The current centers tend to be used by younger and older adults, Tracy Ruiz said. With a new children’s wing, she is hoping it will be a good place for those like her son to socialize with kids his own age.

“He loves to pack his suitcase and go,” she said. “He is really ready to embark on his own little life, like he’s seen his siblings do.”

Ruiz is excited for her son to make new friends and play games, she said, as well as for parents to have a place to connect off Facebook.

“Normally, 12-year-olds are running off to baseball games and sleepovers,” she said. “Frankly, that’s just not how it works with him too much.

“When he was younger, there was a little more of that because they’d invite the entire class. Now he’s not as integrated with kids.”

The center could potentially draw people from far away, she said.

“I know people that travel to Wisconsin for camps, opportunities for their kids for special needs,” Ruiz said. “Dropping your kid off is scary, especially when they don’t communicate well. OE has a reputation for being trustworthy (and offering a) good quality of care.”

Joanne and Jim Markiewicz, of Schererville, said they were privileged to be one of many small donors. The nonprofit had a positive effect on clients, with many directors or board members who have children with special needs.

“That’s what life should be: helping people,” Joanne Markiewicz said. “It definitely has made our lives better for just being involved.”

Nearly 12,000 people with cognitive disabilities in Lake and Porter counties are under 34, according to the organization. Families spend an average of 57 hours per week on their care, it said.

A survey found 83% of households found it difficult for them to make friends or find inclusive community experiences and that 92% had trouble finding quality respite care.

For more information, call 219-464-9621 or go to oppent.org/buildingopportunities.