Real estate agents know better than anyone the value a home brings to the well being of a family. So when the opportunity arose for Nelson Goulart, broker of record/owner of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Signature Service in Mississauga, to raise money so a family could build a home, it was a cause he couldn’t resist.
Sherry Chris, CEO of Better Homes and Gardens, partnered with U.S. based charity New Story, a non-profit organization that helps families in storm ravaged countries build homes. She committed to building 80 homes, Goulart says. He will be raising $6,000 to help one family realize their dream of homeownership.
Through the New Story program, 100 per cent of monies raised goes to the family so they can build a home with running water, electricity and a garden in the back. Building self-sustaining communities is the end game, says Goulart. “It’s a new approach to charity.”
He took the idea to his team and he says his agents were “deeply moved by the idea. We have already raised 40 per cent of the funds.” They reached out to their database and the industry. “We had good response. Once people find out 100 per cent goes to the family” they are on board, he says.
The Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate and New Story Program, launched in September, has another feature donors find important – a pay-forward model. A family gets an interest-free loan and as it is paid back, the funds go to help another family. “It gives people pride. No one wants a hand-out,” Goulart says. So by donating, you not only help one, you help several.
The charity also provides donors with a video so they can see the family receiving the keys to their new home.
