REALTY EXECUTIVES AGENTS RAISE THE FIRST WALL AT A LOCAL HABITAT FOR HUMANITY HOME
Office donates company time and money to build house

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Steve and Nancy Summers, longtime brokers and owners of Realty Executives of Kansas City, along with Wells Fargo Corporation have donated $80,000 to build a new Habitat for Humanity home in Kansas City. The two partners will come together at 11 a.m. Friday, Oct. 9 at the home at 4625 E. 37th Terrace in Kansas City, Mo. to commemorate the start of construction.

The local Wells Fargo Home Mortgage manager, Tony Julianelle, helped facilitate the company grant of $30,000 to donate to the home’s construction. And Realty Executives of Kansas City and the other local brokerages raised more than $50,000 through charity golf tournaments, donations and other fundraisers to benefit the construction of the home.

Friday’s event will include a ceremonial wall raising and brief program at 11 a.m. at the home.

Realty Executives is donating time and labor to help complete the home. A crew of 15 workers will spend the day installing siding on the exterior of the home on Friday. New this year, Realty Executives has agreed to eight build days on which brokers and agents will volunteer their time.

“Raising money and building homes for Habitat for Humanity has become a passion for my family and this company,” said Steve Summers, regional director of Realty Executives Mid America Region. “It is contagious once you feel the rewards of knowing your efforts assisted a well-deserving family find the home of their dreams. That is why we’re in this business, and that is why we enjoy being a part of Habitat for humanity.”

The home is for Thomesa Taylor and her two children, John, 7, and Aniya, 4. After her boyfriend was deployed and she began caring for his child, Thomesa lost her home and was forced to move in with her mother. The crowded conditions weren’t ideal for her family. She was thrilled her application for Habitat for Humanity was approved and she can get a home of her own.

Realty Executives Mid-America Region, which encompasses all of the Kansas City offices as well as offices throughout Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Colorado, has been part of the corporate Habitat for Humanity philanthropic program since 1998. In the past six years, the Kansas City offices have stepped up its efforts to sponsor and build homes locally for Habitat. The corporate program, called Homes from the Heart, was developed to involve agents, brokers, partners and customers in building homes for needy families. As the program has grown over the years, Realty Executives International now builds more than ten homes a year in various cities throughout the world raising more than $1.5 million.

Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, which shares an office with Realty Executives of Kansas City, has also partnered on four homes in the past four years. The two companies have donated more than $320,000 to Habitat for Humanity Kansas City in that time.

One of Realty Executives International’s largest real estate franchises is in Kansas City. Led by Steve Summers of Leawood, Kan., the Mid-America Region operates 45 offices with more than 1,300 executives. The local offices have been instrumental in building several Habitat for Humanity homes in Kansas City offering funding and volunteer support.

Realty Executives International, Inc. is one of the fastest-growing real estate franchises in the United States with nearly 15,000 sales associates and more than 750 franchises. The Phoenix-based, privately held company has offices in the United States, Canada, South Africa, Mexico, France and more. Publications like Entrepreneur, Success and Inc. magazines have recently ranked Realty Executives International as a leader in the real estate industry based on franchise growth, management stability and financial soundness. For additional company information visit www.RealtyExecutives.com or www.realtyx.com.

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