Hephzibah Children's Association, an Oak Park fixture for more than a century, got a Halloween treat this year from one of the community's youngest organizations, Opportunity Knocks.

"You can just feel the tenor in the room," said Mary Anne Brown, executive director of Hephzibah House. "The kids are so relaxed."

Relaxed doesn't mean low on energy, however. Soda, candy, a DJ, games and bubbles provided more than enough stimulation for the costumed crowd.

Michael Carmody, founder and executive director of Opportunity Knocks, saw the kid-friendly holiday as the perfect opportunity to give back to Hephzibah, the organization that guided Opportunity Knocks through its infancy.

Michael and his brothers Phil, John, Chuck and Colin started planning the nonprofit operation about four years ago, when John, who has Down syndrome, was approaching graduation from Oak Park and River Forest High School's Community Integrated Transition Education (CITE) Program.

Now headquarted at the River Forest Community Center, Opportunity Knocks  provides a variety of resources and programming for the developmentally disabled.

Hephzibah and its more than 130 employees offers a range of services geared toward providing at-risk children, including day care for children with working parents. It also serves as a home to dozens of children at its North Boulevard house, which is divided into two sections: the Diagnostic Treatment Center for neglected and abused children and The Residence, a longer-term group housing environment.

"This is the first time we've put these two groups together," said Jim Woywod, Hephzibah's Director of Group Homes. "I'm sure we'll do it again."