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IRVINE, Calif.--([ BUSINESS WIRE ])--Opus Bank (the aBanka) and Opus Community Foundation (the aFoundationa) announced today the Foundationas approval of 17 grant awards to charitable organizations that the Bank and Foundation believe will have an immediate and long-lasting impact on efforts to rebuild our communities. The initiatives receiving the Foundationas financial support create enrichment and advancement opportunities that directly improve the lives of individuals and families in the communities Opus Bank serves.

The Foundation has awarded grants to nonprofit organizations in California and Washington that focus on affordable housing, critical health issues, education, financial literacy, or the arts. These groups include:

California Grant Awards

Families Forward received a grant to support its homelessness prevention program, which provides housing, food, counseling, education, and other support services to families in crisis as they regain financial stability and self-sufficiency.

Fullerton Civic Light Opera received a grant to support its youth programs, which provide arts education, mentoring, outreach, and access to the arts to underserved students and individuals with special needs.

Laguna College of Art and Design (aLCADa) received a grant to support their Arts Education Community Outreach Program, which provides free college credit classes to high school students that help the students develop a portfolio; and professional development to high school teachers so they are better equipped to teach art in local K-12 schools.

Micro-Enterprise Charter Academy (aMECAa) received a grant to support its afterschool enrichment program, which is designed to teach creative problem-solving, scientific and mathematical reasoning, and technological solutions to disadvantaged students, allowing the students to successfully learn, excel in school, and prepare for life educationally, technologically, economically, and socially.

San Diego Opera received a grant to support its Operation:OPERA program, which provides access to comprehensive music education and community outreach to children from underserved and ethnically diverse communities and promotes the professional development of teachers.

South Bay Childrenas Health Center (aSBCHCa) received a grant to support its programs, which provide out-patient dental and mental health services to children from low and low to moderate income families who cannot afford these vital health services that address the social, emotional, and psychological needs of children, adolescents, and their families.

Taller San Jose received a grant to support its Medical Careers Academy program, which recruits undereducated, unskilled, and unemployed youth and trains them for careers in health care by providing workforce training skills, which are reinforced with life skills instruction in financial literacy, healthy relationships, and other personal development topics.

The Joyful Child Foundation received a grant to support its programs, which are designed to protect children from sexual abuse and abduction by uniting and uplifting communities, empowering children, promoting parent awareness, and utilizing best practices related to child safety.

Youth Uprising received a grant to support its career and educational programs, which prepare underserved youth for fulfilling careers, develop leadership, and promote financial security through services and programs that strive to increase their physical and mental well-being, community connection, educational attainment, and career achievement.

Washington Grant Awards

Burlington-Edison Education Coalition for Kids received a grant to support its Back to School program, which provides disadvantaged youth with school supplies, haircuts, and clothing in preparation for the upcoming school year.

Interfaith Association of Northwest Washington received a grant to support its Family Shelter program, which provides shelter and services for families and children, while focusing on increasing housing stability, improving parenting skills, and increasing positive communication within the family.

Friends of Youth received a grant to support its New Ground Transitional Living (aNGTLa) program, which provides homeless young adults housing and comprehensive services that instill the necessary independent life skills to facilitate the transition to self-sufficient living.

Mercy Housing Northwest received a grant to support its Senior Housing program, which provides seniors with safe, stable, and affordable rental housing and allows participants to maintain their independence through individualized services including education, financial literacy, fraud prevention, tax assistance, and health courses.

Rotary First Harvest received a grant to support its programs, which locate surplus fruits and vegetables and coordinate the harvesting, transportation, and distribution of the surplus food to hot meal programs, food banks, and distribution warehouses in the Puget Sound Region.

Smithwright Services received a grant to support its programs, which provide assistance and services that instill autonomy, connection, and empowerment to children and adults with developmental disabilities and autism so they can live, work, and play in their community.

Take the Next Step received a grant to support its Kids Club after-school program, which provides elementary school children from low income communities with skills that allow them to process and regulate their emotions and responses to adverse childhood experiences, manage their anger and anxieties, and become better able to solve problems.

Wonderland Development Center received a grant to support their early learning programs, which provide access to developmental testing, assessment, and evaluation; occupational and speech therapy; and play and learn groups to very young children with developmental delays and disabilities.

Opus Community Foundation

The Foundation is a private 501(c)(3) organization established by Opus Bank on September 30, 2010. The Foundation targets its philanthropic efforts in the areas of affordable housing, community development, education, financial literacy, critical health issues, and the arts. The Foundationas goal is to stimulate economic change, promote reinvestment, inspire philanthropy, and strengthen the communities around us.

About Opus Bank

Opus Bank, headquartered in Irvine, CA, is an FDIC insured California-chartered commercial bank with $2.4 billion of total assets, $1.6 billion of total loans, and $1.8 billion in total deposits, as of June 30, 2012. Opus Bank provides high-value, relationship-based banking products and exceptional service to its clients comprised of small and mid-sized commercial businesses, entrepreneurs, real estate investors, professionals, and consumers. Opus Bank offers a wide range of loan products, including commercial and industrial, commercial real estate, multifamily residential, conforming and jumbo single-family residential, and consumer loans; and is a Small Business Administration (aSBAa) Preferred Lender. Opus Bank operates 47 banking offices, including 24 banking offices in California and 23 in the Seattle/Puget Sound region in Washington. Opus Bank has announced plans to open new banking offices in Gig Harbor, located in Pierce County, and Mount Vernon, located in Skagit County, Washington. For additional information about Opus Bank, please visit our website: [ www.opusbank.com ].