Real Estate and Building Industry raises $3 million to support United Way’s work to help end homelessness in Greater Boston
November 2, 2017
2017 Co-Chairs Kirstin Brown, Mike Pomposelli and Kristin Blount seeing the power of the room’s generosity as they watch the real-time giving results to support innovative programs to help end family homelessness.
24th Annual United Way Real Estate and Building Industry Leadership Breakfast honors National Development/Charles River Realty Investors
BOSTON — In 1993, real estate industry leaders Kevin Phelan and the late Ed Sidman founded the United Way Real Estate & Building Industry Leadership Breakfast, bringing together 200 real estate professionals for the inaugural event. Since then, it has grown to over 1,000 attendees, and the industry has raised a total of more than $48 million to support United Way’s impact in the community. Over the past decade, funds raised from the event have also provided critical funding for one of United Way’s key focus areas – preventing family homelessness. This year’s attendees included leaders such as Kevin Phelan, Robert Beal, Polly Bryson, Ted Tye, David Manfredi, Steve Karp and Ron Druker.
“From talking to my colleagues across the country, there is no other place where the real estate industry comes together like this for United Way and for the opportunity to make a big difference in people’s lives,” said Michael K. Durkin, United Way president and CEO. “This support fuels United Way’s ability to fund innovative new approaches to some of the most vexing, entrenched issues facing our region, such as family homelessness.”
The November 2nd event raised over $1.6 million through corporate sponsorships and donations. It also raised more than $57,000 through onsite mobile giving to support United Way’s efforts to fund innovative, effective and scalable solutions to end family homelessness. Last year, for example, United Way awarded HomeStart with an innovation grant in partnership with Boston College Center for Social Innovation to help the organization scale a successful eviction prevention partnership it created with the Boston Housing Authority to other communities.
David Manfredi, of Elkus Manfredi Architects and a 2015 United Way Honoree, and Alexander Leventhal presented National Development/Charles River Realty Investors with United Way’s annual Norman B. Leventhal/Edwin N. Sidman Real Estate and Building Industry Leadership Award. Since its inception, the award has been a tribute to an extraordinary industry leader who has greatly contributed to the community, both professionally and philanthropically. National Development was honored for their longstanding partnership with United Way, for their work engaging and strengthening communities, and for their physical impact on neighborhoods in and around Boston.
The event was co-chaired by Kristin Blount of Colliers International, Mike Pomposelli of JP Morgan, and Kirstin Brown of Northstar Project & Real Estate Services. Today’s Presenting Sponsor was National Development/Charles River Realty Investors. Premier sponsors of today’s breakfast include Elkus Manfredi Architects, Paul and Phyllis Fireman Charitable Foundation, Moriarty and The Davis Companies. Gold sponsors include DLA Piper, HFF, Leggat McCall Properties, McCall/Almy, New England Development, RelatedBeal, Suffolk Construction, The Druker Company and VHB.
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