From Opportunity House
Pictured above, from left to right: Modesto Fiume and Alyssa Bushkie.
Modesto Fiume has announced his retirement as President/CEO of Opportunity House effective June 30, 2025.
In May 2024, Fiume informed the Opportunity House Board of Directors of his plans to retire. “I wanted the Board to have time to select my successor,” he added.
Hired in October 1994, Fiume has grown the organization from a homeless shelter serving single adults to a multi-service organization.
“It’s amazing to look back and see the impact this organization has had on the thousands of men, women, and children who have benefitted from walking through our doors,” Fiume said.
Fiume was at the forefront of responding to the changing needs of the community. “We recognized the need for childcare and opened the Second Street Learning Center in October 1996,” Fiume noted. That expanded Opportunity House’s mission to include the needs of low-income families in the community. Today, the Second Street Learning Center is a Keystone 4 STAR facility that recognizes the highest quality of our early learning programs and houses three PreK Counts classrooms.
Lack of affordable housing has been a challenge and Fiume continued to address it throughout his tenure. “Linkages, our first supportive housing program for families opened in November 1997, followed by New Beginnings in March 1998,” Fiume noted.
In 2003, recognizing the expanded services they offered, they changed the name to Opportunity House. “The new name reflected the increasing services we offer in the community,” Fiume said.
The Children’s Alliance Center became a part of Opportunity House. This program, created to minimize the trauma associated with victims of childhood sexual abuse, grew to serve over 400 children each year before being transferred to the District Attorney’s office in 2021.
In 2012, Opportunity House, in partnership with the St. Vincent DePaul Society of Eugene, Oregon, began an online retail business selling clothing and books on eBay. The success of the program led to the creation of OppShop, Opportunity House’s retail thrift store located at 3045 5th St. Highway in Muhlenberg. The store opened in 2015. Today, OppShop is part of the Reuse &Recycle Program.
“The program created jobs, reduced waste in the landfill, and generated revenue to reinvest back in the organization’s mission,” Fiume said. OppShop accepts gently used clothing, furniture, and household items and sells them at affordable prices to working-class families in the community.
In 2023, working with the City of Reading, Fiume was instrumental in providing additional short-term housing at Eckert House to address the need for many families experiencing homelessness for the first time.
Recently, Opportunity House was awarded a two-year, $3 million grant to provide services to 150 people who formerly lived in an encampment in the greater Pottstown area.
A Statement from the Opportunity House Board of Directors
“The Board of Directors expresses its gratitude to Modesto Fiume for his leadership, hard work, and many years of service as the President/CEO of the Opportunity House as he retires at the end of June 2025. He has led the organization through 30 years of strategic growth, moving the Opportunity House from only a shelter to the many life-changing programs, such as the housing program, case management, the early learning center, and the OppShop, to name a few. These programs have had and will continue to have a lasting positive impact on the lives of the people Opportunity House serves. Mr. Fiume, we are grateful for your inspiring service and wish you success in your retirement.”
Alyssa Bushkie Named Successor
Alyssa Bushkie, Chief Operations Officer, has been selected as the successor of Modesto Fiume. “Alyssa was the first COO of Opportunity House. Since joining us in 2022, she has been instrumental in the growth and expansion of our programs and services,” Fiume said.
A Berks County native, Alyssa graduated from Penn State Berks Campus with a Bachelor of Science degree in Education and a Master’s Degree in Strategic Human Resource Management from St. Joseph’s University, Philadelphia. She also holds a Nonprofit Leadership Certification from LaSalle University.
Before joining Opportunity House, Alyssa worked at the YMCA of Reading and Berks County, where she most recently served as the Director of Operations.
“I am confident that Opportunity House will continue to grow under Alyssa’s leadership,” Fiume added.
A Statement from The Opportunity House Board of Directors
“The Board is excited to announce the appointment of Alyssa Bushkie to the role of Chief Executive Officer/ President of Opportunity House. In her previous role as COO, Alyssa demonstrated excellent knowledge of the operations and strategic direction for the Opportunity House, and we look forward to working with her as Opportunity House continues to strategically respond to the needs of the homeless and early education children who attend the Opportunity House early learning center.”
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Source: bctv