January 31, 2022

Last year marked 50 years since architect Ken Rehler (1942-2005) established RVK in 1971. As we reflected on how to commemorate this milestone, we honed in on one of our firm’s core values: community. Through our employee-led organization, Operation Kindness, we committed to performing 50 acts of kindness (a.k.a operations) for people and organizations in the greater San Antonio region. This year-long effort involved partnerships with and donations to more than 33 combined local organizations. It also required tremendous planning and volunteer work, something that could not have happened without the help of our staff, family, friends, consultants, vendors, and other industry partners. We sincerely thank each of you for dedicating your time and talents to this cause.

Here we share 10 of last year’s operations to highlight another year of service (and one of many to come in the future as we work together to strengthen the community we share with you.)

Between lockdowns and various COVID-19 waves, many residents in senior living communities couldn’t see their loved ones as often in 2020. Though the love and warmth of family are irreplaceable, we sent our love to residents at Morningside Ministries in the form of 50+ handmade Valentine’s Day cards to brighten their day.

The Food Bank distributes more than 74 million meals annually and serves 90,000 individuals each week. Their importance to the community has only grown since the pandemic began nearly two years ago. RVK took 25 volunteers to sort and pack over 13,000 pounds of food and toiletries at their west side warehouse – enough for 12,522 meals!

Parks are critical infrastructure for community health and wellness, and our landscape architecture studio prioritizes stewardship and sustainability. Therefore, it was important for us to incorporate these principles into one of our 50 operations. RVK had 10 staff members volunteer to pick up trash and debris at San Pedro Springs Park during the lunch hour. They filled several large trash bags and left the park much cleaner than before.

In May, RVK organized a book drive, collecting over 150 books and donating them to the Scooby Van of San Antonio. This groovy organization promotes literacy in our community by delivering free books and Scooby Snacks to underserved kids.

According to AdoptAClassroom.org, teachers spend an average of $750 out of pocket on classroom supplies. It’s a startling fact about the sacrifice teachers make for their students. Because of this, we collected over $550 in school supplies and cleaning products for the teachers at Judson ISD’s Woodlake Elementary School.

Haven for Hope offers systems of care to combat homelessness, including income and skill development, recovery services, and housing. We continued to support their mission last year by donating dozens of coats and blue jeans for those in need.

OpusCare of Texas provides compassionate hospice and palliative care services for seriously ill and terminally ill patients. Our staff curated 33 dinner bags for patients and their families to enjoy over a peaceful, comfortable Thanksgiving holiday.

An Operation Kindness annual tradition, we sent handwritten Christmas cards to overseas U.S. military members to offer encouragement from back home. We asked Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn Middle School students (located in Iowa) to join our cause. They shared some heartfelt and even hilarious sentiments that delivered smiles and laughter for our troops.

RVK teamed up with Concept Surfaces, Wittigs Office Interiors, SKG, National Office Furniture, Inside Evolutions, Amelion, and Supergoop to donate 55 goodie bags to teachers at Harlandale ISD’s Gillette Elementary School. We were thrilled to treat them with gift cards and self-care items for the holidays.

Our founder, Ken Rehler, had a passion for advancing the practice of architecture through providing and contributing to continuing education opportunities within the field. So, for our final operation of the year, we chose to honor Ken’s legacy by advancing educational opportunities for those pursuing careers in architecture. We created the Ken Rehler Memorial Scholarship through the Alamo Colleges District, bestowing scholarships to five district students. One of the students, Xavier Zamora, attended our End of the Year party to formally accept his scholarship award from RVK President Judy Zimmerman and Ken’s wife, Martha. These scholarships demonstrate our immense, immeasurable gratitude for the legacy Ken started and built throughout the decades.