To honor our founder's legacy of giving, Opus and the Opus Foundation®
launched the Gerry Rauenhorst Building Community Award in 2015.
Fueled by unwavering optimism, Gerry demonstrated an entrepreneurial spirit, creativity and a commitment to
finding a better way to build a business, along with a community and values-centered life. With an enduring
belief that business has a responsibility to strengthen society, Gerry ensured giving back was a cornerstone of
his business, and it remains at the core of our organization today.
Each year, an office is randomly chosen, and the associates in that office get to select a winning nonprofit.
In recognition of their impactful work, the nonprofit receives an Opus Foundation®
grant totaling $1,000 for each year since Gerry Rauenhorst founded
the business that would become Opus of today.
PREP-KC helps students attending Kansas City's urban school districts succeed in college and their careers.
Their partner schools have 61 to 100% low income students and 40 to 99% students of color.
Kansas City associates volunteered with PREP-KC in 2019 at their "Mad City Money" event, which was designed to increase students'
financial literacy with a focus on budgeting.
"We staffed interactive booths with topics including mortgage, transportation and daycare, among others," said Megan Garner,
Senior Project Manager. "We've long considered this our favorite group volunteer event to date!"
Megan began individually volunteering with PREP-KC last year at their speed-networking style Career Jumping events.
Volunteers speak with small groups of students for eight minutes each about their career path and how school was relevant to their path.
"I have done two of these so far – one with high school sophomores and one with sixth graders. Both times have been great,
and I have always found the students to be very engaged," Megan said. "I take the opportunity to educate the students about the construction industry. I like to show them that a woman can be successful on this career path, and I also like to talk about the construction trades. It's important that kids know that working in the construction trades is a great career path that can start earning them money right after high school."
PREP-KC works to prepare students for life after high school graduation, whether that be college or entering the workforce.
In their own words:
No one should have to trade sex for a safe place to stay. And no young family should have to sleep in a car or outside because they don't have a home.
The Link provides crisis support, emergency shelter and housing to over 2,000 youth and young families each year.
They offer a safety net for youth often left behind, providing programs made to meet the needs of Black youth, LGBTQ youth, young parents and more.
Youth at The Link are moving out of survival mode and building stability. The impact is life changing: youth have a safe place to call home
(often for the first time), are healing from trauma,
achieving sobriety, developing trusting relationships, getting back to school, finding jobs they love and so much more.
With the Building Community Award, more youth and families will have access to housing and the vital supportive services offered by The Link.
Representing Indianapolis, IN
We're proud to name St. Mary's Child Center (SMCC) the 5th annual Gerry Rauenhorst Building Community Award winner!
Early childhood education matters! SMCC knows this and offers two initiatives to educate children, prepare them for kindergarten
and mitigate the negative outcomes of poverty on their lives. SMCC's Preschool and Educational Outreach Programs provide a
comprehensive scope of resources to help children developmentally in all aspects.
Over 90% of SMCC's three to five-year-old students live in poverty. Children in poverty hear 30,000,000 fewer words than their middle-class peers
and are read to only 25 hours before entering kindergarten. SMCC's mission is to provide the highest
quality early education program to benefit their 228 students throughout five Indianapolis locations.
SMCC uses the Reggio Emilia approach to emphasize the idea that children are strong, competent and capable. Their low adult-to-child
ratio ensures that children are given quality care and attention. 80% of SMCC's students advance to kindergarten at a five-year-old developmental level.
For over 50 years, SMCC has worked with children to create a more successful future!
Representing Minneapolis, MN
We're proud to name Women's Advocates the third annual Gerry Rauenhorst Building Community Award winner.
Women's Advocates has the nation's first shelter for women and children escaping domestic violence.
For more than 43 years, women and children have found a safe place at Women's Advocates.
Using personal and professional experience in their service, Women's Advocates staff have provided around-the-clock shelter and advocacy
support to more than 40,000 individuals.
Women leave the shelter with resources, safety plans and continuing support,
so they may continue their journey towards safety and stability. Additionally, with the help of hundreds of volunteers,
Women's Advocates provides domestic violence and prevention education through presentations, resource materials, tours and online
engagement to thousands each year.
Representing Kansas City, MO
Based in Kansas City, Operation Breakthrough is a one-stop shop that serves more than 400 children daily and creates opportunities
for families to thrive. The organization began in 1971 with four babies in Sister Berta and Sister Corita's living room. Today,
it provides programs for children from birth to age 13.
Operation Breakthrough's mission is to prepare children for success in school and empower their parents to become self-sufficient,
engaged caregivers. Nationally accredited early learning, after-school and summer programs focus on academic achievement and healthy
character development.
Operation Breakthrough provides on-site healthcare and a host of therapeutic interventions for those suffering from trauma or
developmental delays. Knowing that children won't reach their full potential without a strong start, Operation Breakthrough also
provides health and emergency services, housing/employment assistance, parenting classes and other support.
