For Zak Bushey, a Realtor with Century 21 Marty Rodriguez in Glendora, the wish was simple: make the community a better place.
"My broker, Shelley Dow, and I were trying to think of a way to help the local school district that had experienced budget cuts," Bushey said. "The Glendora district has a program called `SOS' - Support Our Students - that raises money to bridge the budget gap.
"So my company started the ABC - A Better Community - program that donates $300 in the client's name. As we started that up I realized that I can help more nonprofits than just the Glendora school district."
For Bushey, his experience as a volunteer with the Make-A-Wish Foundation led him to move that organization to the top of the list.
"While the choice of charity is up to the client, we put together a preferred list of IRS 501c3 charities that we have established relationships with," Bushey said. "Make-A-Wish is at the top of my personal list. I know they do great work with children."
With the support of Dow and her mother, Marty Rodriguez, the ABC program was set in motion earlier this month. The company donates $300 in the client's name for each one of Bushey's sales. If the transaction winds up with Wells Fargo Mortgage of Glendora as the lender, Wells Fargo donates an additional $300.
"I'm really excited about the program," Bushey said. "The client isn't asked to donate a penny. All they have to do is to designate a charity.
I know with Make-A-Wish, to make the average wish come true costs approximately $7,500. So the need is definitely there."
Through Bushey's efforts, $600 has already been donated to Make-A-Wish, with two other deals pending.
Mark and Sherah Wyly recently bought a home in Covina, with Bushey serving as their agent. They were also the first participants in the ABC program.
"Zak found us our ideal house," Sherah Wyly said. "We were first- time homebuyers but Zak made it happen for us. Then he mentioned that we could designate a charity and his company would donate $300 in our name, and we were really excited about that.
"So we talked and decided to designate Make-A-Wish. It's a wonderful cause."
Bushey's second client in the ABC Program was quite a different story from the Wylys' experience.
"It was a listing in Glendora, a short sale," Bushey said. "A couple was losing their home. We see a lot of that now. They wanted to stay, but really waited too long for a refinancing deal that never came through.
"Long story short, it ended up a short sale. Still, I asked the sellers if they wanted to designate a charity, and they were quite taken by that. So at least something good came out of their misfortune."
Bushey has high hopes for the ABC Program.
"I'm really excited about it and want to get the word out to other real estate offices," he said. "The recession hurt us all, but imagine the pain that nonprofits like Make-A-Wish have experienced, since they rely on donations.
"I see it as a win-win situation. We can help Make-A-Wish, or local school districts, or City of Hope or even the California Peace Officers Association, really any 501c3 charity."
Bushey said he feels "blessed" to be working out of Marty's office.
"It's been a tough time for real estate," he said, "but this office still believes in giving back to the community."
Source http://www.sgvtribune.com/
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