Giving: City Year Kansas City Puts Opus Foundation Grant to Work

For more than 10 years, City Year Kansas City has been developing the skills and talents of young people as a way to help build stronger and more vibrant communities. Their work pairing AmeriCorps members with at-risk middle and high school students is widely recognized throughout the greater Kansas City, MO, area, which made the nonprofit the clear choice for the 2025 Gerry Rauenhorst Building Community Award.

Each year, the Opus Foundation presents the Building Community Award to a nonprofit making a measurable difference as chosen by one of our randomly selected offices. The grant totals $1,000 for every year since Gerry Rauenhorst started the business that has grown into the Opus of today. In 2025, that investment reached $72,000 and is already supporting both current programming and future growth at City Year.

City Year Kansas City’s impact is both immediate and long-term. Students who receive academic support are making meaningful progress, with 46.5% of students receiving math support and 54.3% of those receiving English support ending the school year on track – far surpassing program goals for students who often begin one to three years behind. Beyond academics, 78% of students receiving behavior-focused support improved key social-emotional skills.

That impact extends to the AmeriCorps members themselves. Through hands-on experience in the classroom, participants build leadership skills and explore careers in education. Volunteer surveys show that nearly half plan to pursue a career in teaching, and 88% say the experience prepared them for their next step.

The Building Community Award is helping City Year Kansas City sustain this momentum while opening the door to new opportunities. Today, the organization supports 3add0 AmeriCorps members serving in three schools, with plans to add more volunteers and expand to additional schools in the coming years. Thanks to the grant, City Year is also exploring new ways to strengthen the educator pipeline, including a potential teacher pathway program developed in partnership with local colleges and universities.

“We were truly shocked, amazed and elated to receive this recognition,” said Jeff Shafer, Senior Vice President and Executive Director of City Year Kansas City. “This grant allows us to continue delivering meaningful results for students today while also thinking more creatively about how we grow and support the next generation of educators.”

With continued investment, City Year Kansas City is well positioned to deepen its impact – supporting more students today while helping shape the educators of tomorrow.