To drive meaningful philanthropic change in our communities, developing and establishing long-term relationships with local nonprofit partners is key. Additionally, there is an opportunity for organizations to align their core business strengths with the needs of nonprofits, allowing both to do what they do best and deliver the most tangible results. DPR's commitment to Building possibilities for the under-resourced moves forward by leveraging DPR's skillsets as builders and industry professionals. This month, five of DPR’s nonprofit partners share the significance of volunteering and the impact of having an integral and indispensable partner.

Barbara Stark | President & CEO, Milagro Center

"Partnerships have helped and supported Milagro Center's growth, positively affecting our programs, structure, educational capabilities, staff trainings and so much more."

For example, DPR helped take our organization from serving 43 students in our original, small location to serving almost 150 at-risk youth from kindergarten through high school in three separate, beautifully renovated centers. Along with ensuring our physical space is functional, safe and updated, this partner also committed to career and educational guidance for Milagro Center’s students. Volunteers regularly host career sessions, bringing equipment to the Center and allowing our middle and high school students to explore the field of construction in a very hands-on approach. DPR has also been integral in the development and success of Milagro Center’s Ladies Empowerment and Achievement Program (L.E.A.P.) and our construction-focused Girls Go Build initiative for underserved teen girls.

Volunteers also host a Women’s Group that meets monthly with LEAP participants and experts from the field to educate them about different career opportunities within the industry including project management, accounting, marketing, IT, trades and field operations. Partnerships have helped and supported Milagro Center's growth, positively affecting our programs, structure, educational capabilities, staff trainings and so much more. Needless to say, Milagro Center's corporate partnerships have been transformational on so many different and important levels for our organization!

Kristen Reese | Director of Curriculum Design and Instructional Coaching, Peninsula Bridge

"Without the support of corporate partnerships offering specialized programming and recruiting dedicated, enthusiastic volunteers, our students would miss out on invaluable opportunities in their STEM education."

Peninsula Bridge students are constantly asking for more hands-on STEM experiences. We are so lucky they can look forward to educational programming offered by companies we partner with.

Volunteers from these partnerships make a tremendous impact, with some going as far as creating, planning and leading summertime engineering activities. This summer, our 4^th through 8^th grade students learned about construction and engineering, while having a lot of fun building popsicle stick bridges, participating in an egg drop challenge, and playing a board game focused on critical thinking and strategic planning.

At Peninsula Bridge, our mission is to transform the lives of motivated, low-income students by preparing and supporting them for success in their academic and personal journey. Without the support of corporate partnerships offering specialized programming and recruiting dedicated, enthusiastic volunteers, our students would miss out on invaluable opportunities in their STEM education.

Madonna Bistany | Executive Director, Future for KIDS

"We could not be more grateful for the continued support, dedication, and the major impact DPR has had on our organization and the children and families in our community."

The impact corporate partnerships have made on our organization have been significant and truly extraordinary. For instance, our journey with DPR began when an employee, Tim Hyde, started off as a volunteer mentor and eventually serving as our Board Chair. Tim's dedication to Future for KIDS (FFK) and community service inspired many of his colleagues to serve as volunteers and walk alongside our mission of supporting underprivileged kids in our community through structured programs focused on academic, athletic and ethics activities designed to build strong bonds while having fun.

This partnership led to the launch of the "School of Construction" in 2014, an annual summer event coordinated and hosted by DPR volunteers to provide an overview of the field of construction to youth who may be interested in pursuing a career in construction.

We could not be more grateful for the continued support, dedication, and the major impact DPR has had on our organization and the children and families in our community.

Susan Haspel | State Director, Boys & Girls Clubs in New Jersey

"Partnering with companies who share our commitment to supporting the New Jersey Club youth have significantly supported us in delivering on our mission to 'enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring responsible citizens'."

Having a safe and engaging space to mentor and deliver programming is a key way that the Boys & Girls Clubs in New Jersey serve those youth who need us most.

Some of the most meaningful volunteer efforts have included multiple Clubhouse renovations, including classroom spaces for the Club's Clifton and Newark locations. The tremendous value of these projects, along with the wonderful collaboration with volunteers, makes a great impact in our communities for generations to come. Additionally, volunteers that engage with our youth through leadership programs, such as Youth of the Year, provide interview preparation training sessions for Club teens, as well as hosting workforce development programs focused on construction careers.

Partnering with companies who share our commitment to supporting the New Jersey Club youth have significantly supported us in delivering on our mission to “enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring responsible citizens”.

Valerie Salter | Director of Donor Engagement, Girls Inc. of Tarrant County

"There have been several projects that our partners have supported which have greatly impacted our ability to further our mission of 'inspiring all girls to be strong, smart, and bold'."

Girls Inc. of Tarrant County is fortunate to have established incredible corporate partnerships. There have been several projects that our partners have supported which have greatly impacted our ability to further our mission of “inspiring all girls to be strong, smart, and bold”.

Most recently, Girls Inc. relocated our administrative offices which now serves as a multi-functional space. Our goal was to have a space that afforded us the ability to better serve our girls and our community. For our girls, that meant space that was welcoming and where we could host workshops and summer camps. Volunteers from one of our corporate partners did electrical work, painting, furniture assembly and interior construction modifications so that we could utilize it to its highest potential.

I am thrilled to say that this summer, our office has been filled with the sound of laughter at family night, workshops and more during summer camps. This space is much more than we could have imagined, and we owe so much to these long-standing partnerships for making that possible.

A key pillar of DPR's Global Social Responsibility effort, Philanthropy supports community organizations to maximize their impact through facility construction and renovation projects, career and educational guidance for youth and operational support for nonprofit partners' staff.

In 2021, DPR's community initiatives (CI) task forces supported 73 renovation projects, delivering increased capacity and safety for nonprofit partners, and 56 organizations were supported through board service, professional skills training and other operational support.

Learn more about DPR's CI outputs and results by checking out its full 2021 CI Annual Report and "By the Numbers" fact sheet.