Tough Times During the Pandemic Helped OBI Expand

When Marsha Legg became Chief Executive Officer of Opportunity Builders, Inc. (OBI), it was in the middle of the pandemic. 

Tasked with not only keeping the doors open at the nonprofit that is dedicated to engaging individuals with disabilities in new opportunities, she also needed to make sure programming for OBI’s clients remained on track so they could get back to work when the time came. 

“It was a tough time,” said Marsha. “We had to cross train people and transform practically every aspect of our operations. And, after Covid, we had to rely heavily on grants and generous donations to reopen the doors of our 41,000 square foot building.”
OBI survived and even thrived after the pandemic. In fact, in 2021, the organization decided to revise their mission to expand their reach in the community, “to support youth and adults with disabilities to experience full inclusion in their communities as they learn, work, and pursue their paths to personal success.” 

Marsha explained, “We updated our mission as we recovered from Covid to serve youth—specifically high school students —as well as adults. We also expanded it to include all disabilities, not only developmental and intellectual, but also behavioral health, mental health, and physical disabilities.”
Being new to the organization and to Anne Arundel County, Marsha relied on the Community Foundation’s Community Needs Assessment: Poverty Amongst Plenty, VII, to inform her and the organization’s leaders about the needs in the community.

“One of the most useful things for us is the Community Needs Assessment report,” said Marsha. “It’s a powerful document. The data has helped us to understand what people need in different neighborhoods. I can’t tell you how nice it is to have something consolidated in that format.”

However, CFAAC’s relationship with OBI goes beyond the usefulness of the data-packed Community Needs Assessment report.

The nonprofit had opened an Agency Endowment Fund with the Community Foundation in 2019 to ensure the organization’s sustainability and broaden OBI’s awareness in the community. 

OBI Board President Bill Kuethe recalled, “Many of us on OBI’s board were aware of the Community Foundation since its inception. So, when Vicki Callahan [OBI’s CEO at the time] approached us about opening an endowment fund at the Community Foundation, we liked the idea and thought that it was an opportunity for more exposure in the community. 

“And of course, the Community Foundation is such a well-respected organization, we like having the partnership,” he added. “We knew the fund would be well-managed by a professional organization with a great reputation in the community. We thought it would deliver additional exposure for us as well as provide us assistance in managing an endowment fund.”  

This story was originally published in the 2022 CFAAC Annual Report.

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