Quarterly Donations Recap (October – December)

Thanks to our clients, we were able to donate a total of $16,872.69 this quarter, bringing our total donations since our founding to $297,656.50!

Here’s a look at all the donations we’ve made on behalf of our clients this quarter.

DonationsRecapOct-Dec

  • $1,165.69 donated to CASA of Travis County on behalf of Shelli Schilke.
  • $1,485.00 donated to the Congress for the New Urbanism – Central Texas Chapter on behalf of Diane Miller.
  • $3,092.00 donated to Student Charities on behalf of Chris Scherwin and Charles Gardinier.
  • $885.00 donated to H.A.N.D. on behalf of Seth Sather.
  • $827.00 donated to Love-A-Bull on behalf of Meghan and David Wells.
  • $1,375.00 donated to Manos de Cristo on behalf of Jim and Joan Johnson.
  • $1,375.00 donated to Meals on Wheels and More on behalf of Jim and Joan Johnson.
  • $1,375.00 donated to Wounded Warrior Project on behalf of Jim and Joan Johnson.
  • $885.00 donated to Planned Parenthood on behalf of Diana Wagner.
  • $1,463.00 donated to Planned Parenthood on behalf of Hugh and Julie McGowan.
  • $1,375.00 donated to Presbyterian Children’s Home on behalf of Jim and Joan Johnson.
  • $1,570.00 Donated to Open Door Preschools on Behalf of Ashley and Scott Phillips.

Love-A-Bull

Guest blog by  Meghan Wells, Co-Founder, Love-A-Bull.

Once in awhile, if you’re lucky, you meet someone who wants to make the world a better place by working everyday to help others.  And then, these people inspire you to do the same.  I learned of Laurie Loew and Give Realty several years ago, when Laurie’s clients, Ethan and Emilie Sonne, chose Love-A-Bull to be the beneficiary of Give Realty’s commission program to help nonprofits.  As Love-A-Bull is so dependent on its donations to continue funding its basic services and programs, I knew the tremendous value that this contribution would make in the lives of the pitties and owners who we serve.

Pittie Pride Parade photoBy working to provide education, advocacy and rescue programs, Love-A-Bull strives to improve the lives and image of “pit bull” type dogs and their guardians.  Since 2008, our 100% volunteer-run organization has provided free training classes to several hundred individuals and families, started one of the nation’s first all-pittie therapy dog programs, rescued and rehomed pitties from the streets, shelters, and abuse/neglect situations, fought for equal treatment and against breed discriminatory legislation for dogs in our own community and nationwide, hosted one of the country’s largest annual “Pittie Pride” festivals featuring celebrities who help spread awareness of our shared desire to make life better for pittie dogs and their families, and worked with countless individuals in need of our assistance.  Love-A-Bull wants everyone to realize that all block-headed dogs who get lumped into the “pit bull” label are worthy of being loved and viewed as the faithful four-legged family members that thousands of responsible guardians hold dear.  My own (now, nearly 12-year old) rescue dog, May, was the first one to prove that message to me – and soon after I adopted her, Love-A-Bull took shape.

Remembering the support that the organization had received from Give Realty in that past, I naturally sought Laurie’s help when my fiancé, David, and I were in the midst of combining our households (selling our individual homes and buying a new house together).  She was the perfect combination of listener, field expert, advocate, and cheerleader for our house selling and buying process.  If you’ve been on that real estate roller coaster (especially the crazy one here in Austin), you know how important a realtor with those qualities can be!  But, what was even more satisfying than signing that last closing document was the knowledge that with our own homestead journey complete, we would be helping Love-A-Bull continue its journey to grow and expand through Give Realty’s donation.

Donation Give RealtyIn the past several years, Give Realty has given close to $8000 to Love-A-Bull, through commissions and contests.  That large chunk of change helps funds critical veterinary treatment for Adopt-A-Bulls with medical needs, supplies and resources for our community outreach efforts (tent events, spay/neuter assistance, housing resources, etc.), training class gear, and a whole slew of other organizational needs.   And we couldn’t do it without the help of community partners like Give Realty and Laurie Loew, who truly care about the causes they support and the ways in which their donation is improving life in the long-term for so many.  It is not exaggerating to say that that many human and canine lives were permanently changed for the better through this generous gift.

Thank you for the donation and the inspiration, Laurie!  Love-A-Bull is grateful for your giving, and we hope to keep this wonderful relationship going (and giving) strong for years to come.

May and Meghan (photo by Jennifer Hayes)Meghan Wells became interested in advocacy when she adopted her rescue dog, May in 2005. She joined a local Pit Bull Meetup group to meet other pit bull owners who took a monthly “fun walk” around downtown. Upon learning more about proposed breed-specific legislation and finding that many policymakers and reporters had very little accurate information about pit bulls, she got more involved in trying to effect change. Meghan joined forces with Lydia Zaidman, another active Meetup member, to transform the group into a vehicle to change minds and fight negative stereotypes. In 2008, they founded Love-A-Bull, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

As a founding board member of the 100% volunteer-run organization, she maintains a leadership role with education and outreach efforts, including conference workshops, community resource fairs, interviews and research projects, and partnerships to spread awareness of Love-A-Bull’s mission and goals. Meghan and May are proud to have participated in Love-A-Bull’s free training program, and May is a Canine Good Citizen. When she’s not working on behalf of Love-A-Bull, she spends most of her time advocating for artists with the City of Austin’s Art in Public Places Program, enjoying the new house with her husband David and May’s “sister,” Zeta, and continuing to find new things to love about Austin.

Giving Tuesday

Well, the holiday season is officially upon us, with it’s usual bevy of shopping, parties, family, friends, and stress, It’s so easy to get caught up in it all and forget that the real purpose of this time of year is to appreciate the joy and blessings in our life and to share some of that joy with others.

Photo Courtesy of Giving Tuesday

Photo Courtesy of Giving Tuesday

Today is Giving Tuesday, a national day of giving established last year. The idea is that after spending Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday shopping, we as a nation make a focused effort to give back. It’s an official day of giving to kick off what will hopefully be a whole holiday season of giving.

Today is what Give Realty is all about. A desire to give back to our community is what drove Laurie to found the brokerage back in 2008, and this desire remains the driving force of Give Realty today. Laurie gives not just for herself, but in the hopes that her business model will help to encourage others to give back as well.

With thousands of nonprofits in our local community, and hundreds of thousands nationwide, the opportunities for you to give back today are endless. Find a nonprofit that supports a cause you are passionate about and help them out. Don’t have the funds to make a donation? Giving of your time counts, too.

This is your chance. Be inspired. Let today be the beginning of a season of giving that will become a tradition, and might just change your life.

$1,375.00 Donated to Presbyterian Children’s Home on Behalf of Jim and Joan Johnson

Johnson Presbyterian home

$1,375.00 donated to Presbyterian Children’s Home on behalf of Jim and Joan Johnson.

Presbyterian Children’s Homes and Services (PCHAS) provides Christ-centered care and support for struggling children and families.

Over the past 110 years, they’ve created programs that greatly improve children’s lives – enabling their recovery from abuse, abandonment, and other forms of neglect.

They also reach out and work closely with their parents, some of whom struggle with drug and/or alcohol addiction, unemployment, poverty, depression, and other obstacles to healthy parenting.

The Impact of Referrals

It all started with a lead from my previous broker (before Give Realty). Jeannie and David purchased a home in Dripping Springs and in the process I was introduced to their parents.  Referral CollageMarian and Richard decided to sell their family home in July of 2009 and donated $5,000 to 3 nonprofits. When their grandson relocated from Houston to Austin earlier this year, Dave and Kelsey called me to help them find their Austin home and $1,949.25 was donated to Camp for All.

Dave and Kathy attend church with Marian and Richard and called me to help them sell their homes and purchase a new one. That resulted in Dave and Kathy giving over $6,500 in donations. Dave’s parents, Joan and Jim, sold their family home in Rollingwood and donated $5,500 to causes they care about.

It all started with one client. Because of David and Jeannie, their family has given almost $7,000 to the nonprofit community and another family has given over $12,000. Pretty amazing stuff.

$1,463.00 Donated to Planned Parenthood on Behalf of Hugh and Julie McGowan

PlannedParenthood

$1,463.00 donated to Planned Parenthood on behalf of Hugh and Julie McGowan.

For nearly 100 years, Planned Parenthood has promoted a common sense approach to women’s health and well-being, based on respect for each individual’s right to make informed, independent decisions about health, sex, and family planning.

$1,375.00 Donated to Manos de Cristo on Behalf of Jim and Joan Johnson

Johnson Manos De Cristo

$1,375.00 donated to Manos de Cristo on behalf of Jim and Joan Johnson.

Manos de Cristo is a nonprofit organization committed to empowering low-income individuals by promoting dignity and self-reliance. Manos was founded in 1988, and the dental clinic opened its doors to the Austin community in 1990. Manos hosts a wide range of adult education classes; houses a food pantry, a clothes closet, and two computer labs.