Art has always been a way to reach each other. A card painted for someone far away. A sketchbook passed between friends. A class where strangers leave as neighbours.
Now in its sixth year, Art Brings Us Together turns that idea into something you can hold: every time you choose Opus or Buzz brand materials during the holidays, part of your purchase goes back into the community. This year, we're focusing that support on families who need to stay together most.
This year: Ronald McDonald House BC & Yukon
When a child is seriously ill, care often means travelling far from home. Two out of three Canadian families live somewhere without a children's hospital.
Since 1983, Ronald McDonald House BC & Yukon has made sure those families don't have to choose between being with their child and keeping life together. Through Heather House in Vancouver and Family Rooms in Surrey, Kamloops and Prince George, they give families a place to stay, meals, and support, steps from their child's care.
It's more than a place to sleep. The House runs programs that help kids and parents feel like themselves again, including art therapy, alongside music therapy, pet therapy and medical play. For a child in the middle of treatment, a paintbrush can say what words can't.
“No matter what happens, this is the best place in the world for my family to be.”
The Kirk family, Victoria, 150 nights at the House
How it works
From November 1 to December 24, 5% of every Opus and Buzz brand purchase, online and in all our stores, goes to Art Brings Us Together. There's nothing to sign up for and no code to enter. Choose Opus or Buzz, and you're part of it.
Ronald McDonald House BC & Yukon is this season's focus. Once we reach our commitment to the House, every dollar beyond it supports small arts organizations across BC, the same kind of local groups the fundraiser has always championed.
What we did together last year
In 2025, Art Brings Us Together raised more than $24,000 for eight BC arts organizations: one chosen by each of our seven stores, plus one for national mail order.
| Store | Organization |
|---|---|
| Coquitlam | The Colour Collective |
| Downtown Vancouver | Studio 101 |
| Granville Island | Artists in Our Midst |
| Kelowna | Gallery Vertigo |
| Langley | She Defines Strength Foundation |
| National mail order | The Art Studios, Lookout Housing + Health Society |
| North Vancouver | West Vancouver Community Arts Council |
| Victoria | Pandora Arts Collective Society |
Thank you to everyone who shopped, gave and showed up.
Supporting the arts all year
Art Brings Us Together is the holiday chapter of the Opus Together Program, the year-round work we do to keep BC's art community strong. Through annual support agreements, we stand behind organizations like the Eastside Arts Society (home of the Eastside Culture Crawl), Harmony Arts Festival, the Federation of Canadian Artists and Emily Carr University, along with many small art programs across the province.
We've been part of this community for more than 50 years. Many of us make art too. Supporting the places where artists learn, show and connect is part of how we work, not just what we do in December.
How to be part of it
Look for Opus and Buzz brand materials, online and in store. A few that make easy gifts this season:
Opus Essential Deluxe Sets
For watercolour, acrylic or oil: everything to start painting in one box, for less than buying each piece on its own.
Opus Essential Watercolour Trios
Three hand-picked colours that mix beautifully, a small gift with real pigment.
Opus Essential sketchbooks and the Dot Grid Notebook
For the person who draws on everything.
Opus Finest palette knives and Fortissimo brushes
Tools a working painter will reach for every day.
Buzz canvas and panels
Ready to paint, from small studies to big ambitions.
Want to know more about our year-round community work? Visit the Opus Together Program. Running an arts event in your community? Post it on the community board at your local Opus.
Thank you for making art, and for bringing people together through it.
By all means, create.
