The charitable arm of Intero has given more than $1.5 million in donationsDavid Piazza, director of the Intero Foundation, stopped by to talk to us about the Foundation and some of the nonprofits it has supported in 2007.
To date, the Foundation has given more than $1.5 million in donations to support charities that help children. In fact, the Intero Foundation is one of the largest charitable funds supported by a single brokerage in the real estate industry, and since it’s founding, it has raised the bar in real estate for giving back to the community.
For those who don’t know, give us a brief description of the Intero Foundation and how it came about.
The Foundation is the charitable arm of Intero Real Estate Services. It was really the idea of our CEO Gino who, from the very beginning of launching this company, wanted Intero to have a strong presence in the community through giving and volunteerism.
Officially, it was founded in 2003 and is dedicated to supporting organizations and programs that help children. The majority our funding comes from direct donations given by Intero agents and employees.
How much money has been donated so far?
Since 2003, more than $742,000 in total. And for 2007, we’ve given out roughly $92,000, with an additional $145,000 left to donate through the remainder of the year. We may not give out the entire amount this year. We will have to see what the grant requests are from our next meeting.
How do you choose the organizations you give to?
We have representatives from most of our offices on the Foundation Board. Those people prescreen potential candidates and bring grant proposals to the monthly meetings we hold. The Board discusses the proposal further, and then decides whether or not to give the organizaiton grant money, and if so, how much. Each grant review meeting looks at a different region. For example, this month we’re considering proposals for South County (Morgan Hill, Gilroy, etc.).
If people would like to nominate an organization, how do they do it?
First, they should go to the Foundation’s web page on the Intero site and make sure their organization falls within the guidelines of the nonprofits we support: organizations that help children.
Then, the person needs to bring a proposal to the Foundation representative in the Intero office closest to them. Or, if they don’t have a representative nearby, they can access the Foundation page through the Intero site and send a request to one of the representatives.
We have a list of all the Foundation contacts on the web site.
What if a nonprofit doesn’t know an agent? Can they send their proposal directly to the Board member in their region?
Yes, that’s fine.
You said the Foundation has awarded more than $92,000 this year, where has that money gone?
We’ve done a lot of giving to nonprofits that help children with special needs, such as the Special Olympics and the Pacific Autism Center for Education. We’ve also given to children’s hospitals, groups that provide warm clothes for children in the winter, arts programs and more. Here’s a list of what we’ve donated so far this year.
2007 DONATIONS FOR THE INTERO FOUNDATION
SMALL STEPS
Small Steps provides warm winter coats, shoes and backpacks for children that may not otherwise receive these needed items. Every dollar donated is spent on the children.
ALUM ROCK COUNSELING CENTER
ARC provides culturally appropriate services that enable youth and their families in East Santa Clara Valley to improve their lives.
ASSISTANCE LEAGUE OF SAN JOSE
Assistance League of San Jose has provided vital community services since 1983. Their philanthropic programs are designed to serve unmet needs in the community.
MONTALVO ARTS CENTER
Montalvo is a non-profit organization dedicated to forging meaningful connections between art, artists and the communities they serve, through creation, presentation and education in extraordinary ways and settings.
PACIFIC AUTISM CENTER FOR EDUCATION
PACE provides high quality programs for children with autism and related developmental disabilities.
SPECIAL OLYMPICS
The Special Olympics provides year-round training and competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for individuals with developmental disabilities.
LEARNING FOR LIFE
Learning for Life offers seven programs designed to support schools and community-based organizations in their efforts to prepare youth to successfully handle the complexities of contemporary society and to enhance their self-confidence, motivation, and self-esteem.
CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL BRANCHES
Throughout 90+ years of service, members of the Branches have served as Children’s advocates in the community, raising millions of dollars to provide both seed money for new programs and ongoing support that has touched virtually every department and division in hospitals.
DOWN SYNDROME CONNECTION
The Down Syndrome Connection promotes the unique contributions of children and young adults with Down syndrome by providing direct services to families, educating the public and fostering inclusive and integrated involvement with the community at large.
ORGANIZATION OF SPECIAL NEEDS FAMILIES
OSF believes in and supports community integration for individuals with special needs toward an independent, productive, and normal life and advocates for stable and healthy environments for families and individuals with special needs.
BUENA VISTA AUXILIARY (ASSISTANCE LEAGUE)
Buena Vista Auxiliary members are volunteers from the greater Contra Costa County community, committed to promoting and supporting children’s literacy.
ST. ROSE HOSPITAL FOUNDATION
The St. Rose Hospital Foundation actively seeks support through individual gifts, pledges, and grants. Some of our current goals include: inpatient pediatric unit, medical equipment, Family Birthing Center, Silva Pediatric Medical and Dental Clinics, Community Mobile Care-A-Van, and capital improvements.
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