ABouT The founder

Kathy Opperman, Founder and President​​

Kathy Opperman, Certified Life Coach, has a passion for helping others become the best version of themselves! A graduate of Gwynedd Mercy College, she practiced as a Registered Nurse in the 1980's. She later joined her family's business as a Realtor where she became a Manager, Trainer and then Owner. She is a well-known award winning REALTOR and Branch Manager for Long and Foster Real Estate Companies in Collegeville, PA.  

In 2011 after extensive surgery for a rare skin cancer on her scalp, Kathy was inspired to open a different kind of Wellness Center in 2013. However, she discovered many people needed stress relief services and Life Coaching offered there, but they could not afford it. She was encouraged to start a non-Profit whose mission would be to help youth to adult to lead happier and successful lives. 

In a name spoken to her while praying, Pillars of Light and Love was formed in the Fall of 2014 and received IRS 501c3 charity status in January of 2015. In December of 2014, the Wellness Center was closed and Pillars of Light and Love became the main tenant of newly named building, the Empowering U Center owned by Kathy on Main Street in Trappe, PA.

Pillars of Light and Love exists solely on donations and grants, and is partially funded by Kathy to sustain its mission since 2014. Kathy is completing a self-improvement book and teaches several workshops onsite and at local businesses on Stress and Time Management, Creating Peace in Your Life, and more. Many lives have been positively transformed at the Empowering U Center. 

In November of 2022, Kathy spearheaded the renovations and opening of the So Much to Give Inclusive Café under Pillars. "So Much to Give” was a program created by Maureen Stanko launched in early 2022 within Pillars of Light and Love. Inspired by the need to create opportunities for her son with autism, its mission is to help young adults with disabilities to gain personal fulfillment by utilizing their unique gifts and talents to make a positive difference in the community. 

Maureen's friend, Tyler Kammerle, had been developing an innovative restaurant concept that seeks to further this mission by merging the idea of employing people with amazing abilities and implementing accessible systems to help create a truly inclusive dining experience for all. Because of this, Kathy Opperman and the Board of Directors of Pillars of Light and Love decided to work in tandem with Tyler to open the So Much to Give Inclusive Café, and Maureen was more than eager to help with the project. Thanks to the hard work of many and endless support from the community, the So Much to Give Inclusive Café was able to open in November of 2022, just six months after Kathy and Tyler crossed paths! 

In July of 2023, the So Much to Give program found a home in the same shopping center as the cafe. With Maureen Stanko as Director, the So Much to Give Inspiration Studio was born, with approval of the Pillars Board of Directors. The studio offers art, music, social and vocational skills to ages 15 through adulthood who have a disability. Hundreds have already been served by the studio. 

Tyler has advanced from General Manager to Director of the So Much to Give Inclusive Cafe which in August of 2024 expanded to open a coffee counter which serves breakfast and lunch items to students within Parkhouse Hall at Montgomery County Community College. In October, they opened their third cafe location within the Health and Science Center at the college serving hundreds of students Monday through Friday. 

There is no telling the next idea Kathy and her team will take on, but we are sure it will involve the mission of helping others to live their best lives!  “When there’s a need in the community, or someone comes to me and says, ‘I’d like to do a program for young adults with disabilities,’ I say, ‘OK, let’s create it,’” said Kathy. 

Kathy was the recipient of an honorable mention and Web Choice Favorite award for her charity work from the National Association of REALTORS in November of 2022.  Watch the nomination video here

In October of 2024, Kathy was nominated by her husband Rick Opperman, and won first place in the Community Service Award for the Tricounty Suburban Association of Realtors. She was awarded a $10,000 grant which goes to Pillars of Light and Love to help sustain and further the various missions!

Connect with Kathy on Facebook by liking her professional page https://www.facebook.com/KathyOppermanInspires/, or keep up with her on her personal page at https://www.facebook.com/KathyOpperman/