The Mission of the Community Foundation Committee is to support essential community programs to address the beliefs that our children represent our future and that housing is a fundamental need.
The Vision of the Community Foundation Committee is to create and hold events throughout the year to solicit financial donations and support from the Community at-large and to solicit grant applications
in the early part of each year providing grant awards to community programs addressing Youth Art & Education, Workforce Housing & Homeless and Senior Services & Community Activities. The
Committee’s objective is to appeal to a broad range of Community programs to apply for grant awards.
The Community Foundation as it exists today has grassroots from when the Oakland and Berkeley Association of REALTORS® were separate MLS memberships, prior to 2015.
In 2002, the Oakland Association of REALTORS® Board of Directors decided that rather than haphazardly identifying organizations to donate to, they would choose a specific one and they initiated a campaign to help the annual Oral Lee Brown Foundation (OLB) which was a well-established entity in our community founded by REALTOR® Oral Lee Brown. More info can be found at oralleebrownfoundation.org. The Board of Directors members went to each real estate office and asked agents to contribute from every escrow. Some offices started their own funds as a result. The Oakland Association’s activities grew to include an annual Walkathon to raise funds from agents, affiliates and supporters walking around Lake Merritt in Oakland. In subsequent years, this was held every year and funds were given to OLB at every annual new Board and Board President installation event.
In 2015, the Oakland Association committee merged with the Berkeley Association Community Funds committee as part of the overall Associations merger and continues to hold the annual Oral Lee Brown 5k walk around Lake Merritt asking agents, affiliates and supporters to participate.
The evolution of the Berkeley Association of REALTORS® Community Fund started when agent Ron Egherman (1945-2014) was President of the Berkeley Board. The Berkeley Association had established the “Ron Sterling Egherman Youth Arts & Education Fund” and the “Anita Thede Workforce Housing & Homeless Fund,” named after these two beloved agents.
The concept actually started earlier as agent Nancy Mueller reflects “…that if everyone gave a small donation after an escrow closed, we could make significant contributions to help the less fortunate. I mentioned this to other agents/broker owners and some agents started giving to the fund.” Eventually in ~2009 an informal donation committee was formed with different agents taking the lead as Chair. Donations were not particularly robust and Red Oak Realty branched out on their own and started their Red Oak Opportunity ROOF foundation. As agents in Berkeley started becoming aware of the Community Fund committee, donations increased from an annual amount of ~$20K to as much as $90,000.
Now that the Bridge Association of REALTORS® have merged into one association(Oakland/Berkeley), the Community Foundation has become a well-organized high profile Committee which reports directly to the Board of Directors. Please visit the Foundation’s website at https://www.bridgeaor.org/community-foundation
The Oakland/Berkeley Association of REALTORS® Community Foundation is only one of the few such Foundations amongst the California Association of Realtors MLS organizations.
Each year the Oakland/Berkeley Association of REALTORS® Community Foundation has a grant application process enabling
501.c.3 non-profits who provide services in the categories of Youth Arts and Education, Workforce Housing and Homeless, and Senior Services Community Activities within our local service areas in Albany, Berkeley, El Cerrito, Emeryville, Kensington, Oakland, Piedmont and Richmond to submit application requesting grant awards in the range of $500 - $3500. The Community Foundation committee then reviews all the grant applications to cull down the many applicants into a group of awardees. This process culminates with an Awards Ceremony usually held in May during which grant awards are presented to those well-deserved applicants in a festive ceremony event.
For the 2016 grant cycle the Committee raised $104,000 distributing grants to 47 non-profit groups and the Oral Lee Brown Foundation. For the 2017 grant cycle, we raised $150,000 that included a $20,000 grant to the Oral Lee Brown Foundation (see pages 5-6 for 2017 recipient list). For the 2018 grant cycle, we have a goal by raising $200,000 to include funds from Red Oak Realty’s ROOF foundation, raised separately by their agents.
We sponsor and organize a variety of events throughout the year to involve and engage our community, raise awareness of our mission and objectives, and, of course, raise lots of money! Some activities include the annual Oral Lee Brown 5k Walk, Rebuilding Together, Loved Twice, Golden Gate Fields Dollar Days, and Spats Night.
How can REALTOR® and Affiliates Members Contribute? The funds are a meaningful way for our local Realtors and related service professionals to give back to the communities in which we work. Earn client and community respect, recognition & rewards! All donations are tax deductible.
REALTORS® can contribute by giving $25.00 or more at each close of escrow through the title company. The mortgage broker or title officer may match the donation. See form at end of this document.
AFFILIATES can contribute by making a donation at the close of each transaction or an annual contribution.
REALTORS® and Affiliates can also make a donation in their client’s name. It’s a feel good contribution and a way to show client appreciation.
Attend the Annual Installation of Officers and Directors, which is a major fundraising event for Community Foundation! This event is held in the winter and your participation in the Installation’s festivities increases the Association’s ability to make a difference in our communities. It is also a valuable networking opportunity.
Ask your broker/manager how you can participate in the BridgeAOR Community Foundation Program or contact Jeffrey Neidleman or Trish Grima, Co-Chairs, BridgeAOR Community Foundation Committee at 510-435-0325 or 510-332-7795 for more information or to volunteer your time to help.
Our business office contact address information is:
Bridge Association of Realtors
2855 Telegraph Ave. Suite 600, Berkeley, CA 94705.
Phone: 510-848-4288 or 510-848-2655
Email: [email protected]
