Kym And Jeremy Renner Give Back Through Their RennerVation Foundation

Jeremy Renner is living proof that not all superheroes have to wear capes.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe movie star, best known to many for playing Hawkeye, has been giving back to the world alongside his sister Kym Renner through their RennerVation Foundation. Founded by Jeremy in 2023, this public 501(c)(3) Reno, Nevada-based non-profit leads in offering foster and at-risk youth a safe haven and targeted programs to develop their skills, confidence and opportunities.

With Kym serving as President and CEO at RennerVation, these siblings and their team provide camps and other fun gatherings for these marginalized groups. This past Saturday, the Renners were honored for their ongoing philanthropy at the A Sense of Home 10th anniversary gala in West Hollywood, California. Led by Georgie Smith and Melissa Goddard, A Sense of Home’s mission is to prevent homelessness by creating homes for displaced individuals and families – offering more than just furniture, but a fresh start.

Amidst the devastating California wildfires earlier this year and with the launch of RennerVation Foundation’s “Pave Your Way” program, which supports those exiting foster care into adulthood, RennerVation and A Sense of Home have since become partners, by combining their resources for those most in need.

Speaking with Jeremy and Kym shortly before receiving their award on-stage, I wondered what a sense of home means to them today and if their ideologies towards that has evolved at all over the years.

Jeremy said, “I have a giant family, so sense of home always to me is family. Otherwise, it’s just a house. It’s got to be filled with people you love and community. Shared experiences, love – that all represents a home to me. Something safe – a safe space to have shared experiences. And sadly, there’s a lot of people that don’t have that.”

Now being two years into their RennerVation non-profit work across Nevada, Jeremy knows that it takes a “dang village and a community to move the needle for these kids.”

Jeremy added: “I’m so proud of Nevada for stepping up and really coming to the plate for us. We will continue to grow, as A Sense of Home – they’re growing. We’ll be growing together because we are essential for each other.”

With RennerVation being a devoted project for this brother and sister, I teased them that going into business with family can be difficult for some – yet Kym has nothing but praise to say about Jeremy.

“I love working with my brother,” Kym said. “The reason it’s so great is because he’s got a voice and he’s got a platform, and he uses his voice for the voiceless. That’s everything. I’m a child welfare [worker], through and through. That’s my career. I get to share that with him. He gets to share his side of the world with me.”

Jeremy added: “We got our fighting out of the way when we were kids. We love each other. She brought me back from death, man. She’s like my number one. It’s nice to share our love for each other, through something that we’re both passionate about – coming from different perspectives, you know? I would say it’s not work. It’s a real great excuse for us to talk more and get together, and share life together and share love together.”

Jeremy is speaking of his near-fatal accident on New Year’s Day 2023, when he was crushed by his own 14,000-pound snowcat after it began sliding while he was clearing snow for his family. Saving his nephew from being hit, Jeremy was pulled under the tracks, resulting in over 38 broken bones, a collapsed lung and other serious injuries. Kym even recalls washing “the blood out of his hair” after the accident.

Following a long and inspiring recovery, I was curious if Jeremy’s creative priorities have changed at all since his accident and whether his overall outlook has somehow benefited, due to that unfortunate event.

Jeremy said, “Yeah, of course. There’s so many benefits that came from getting crushed, man. I mean, I wrote a book [My Next Breath: A Memoir] about it, for god’s sake. The great blessing to have my life simplified. I still get to do the things I love to do – I just re-prioritize what has real value in my life, you know? I still, of course, love acting, but I love my sister way more and I love my daughter way more. So, I got to make sure if they’re not involved, that it’s not going to happen. So, that’s why the foundation is such a high priority in my life because I’m doing it with my family.”

RennerVation has become a full family affair, as now Kym and Jeremy have their mother Valerie contributing to their efforts, as well as Jeremy’s daughter Ava, which Jeremy says is “such a wonderful empath and cares so much for these kids. She feels so blessed and special, seeing how much hardship that these kids have to go through. It’s a really wonderful growing, learning experience for all of us, and sharing our time and helping these kids. It’s really one of the greatest things ever.”

Concluding my conversation with these real life superheroes, I wondered what supportive message they might have for today’s youth, looking for a helpful hand and some quality guidance right now.

Kym said, “I think for any young person that’s not sure where to go or what to do – for them to be willing to accept the help, because that sometimes is the most difficult. They have been through such adversity that they often don’t trust a lot of other humans and other adults. What I would say is there are wonderful people out there and help is okay, and it’s okay to lean in and still receive that help because many of us are there to do that.”

Jeremy concluded with, “Look, money is always great for our foundation, but I like hands. I’d rather have hands because it takes so many hands to get something done. It’s insane. Again, I talk about community support, getting all the volunteers and this help. Really, it’s a lot of fun to build a brighter future for these kids. It’s the most fun I’ve had in my entire life. I get to be a kid with these kids. Don’t get me wrong – it’s not all roses. It’s a lot of hardships with the kids. We’ve got to do that consistently for these kids. So, anybody who wants to help, I can always use their hands, man. We can build the future for these kids.”