Alain Pinel Realtors Expands Support of Shelter Network with New Community Partnership

Five APR offices commit to helping homeless adults and children
Five APR offices commit to helping homeless adults and children

RISMEDIA, December 12, 2006?Alain Pinel Realtors Vice President and Manager Joanne Wondolowski announced the expansion of the company?s support of Shelter Network by engaging Alain Pinel real estate sales professionals in a new ?close of escrow giving program.?

For several years the Burlingame office of Alain Pinel Realtors (APR), which is managed by Wondolowski, has supported San Mateo-based Shelter Network in numerous ways with the most prominent supporting event returning each December, when she co-hosts an annual office/holiday party, dinner and gift give-a-way for residents of Shelter Network?s First Step for Families shelter. In seeking ways to broaden its impact and help the San Francisco Peninsula’s homeless population and families that have suffered economic loss or a debilitating illness, five Alain Pinel offices have committed to a new program designed to provide greater financial support for Shelter Network and its six area shelters.

The ?close of escrow giving program? enables APR sales professionals to become ?Community Partners? by committing flat-fee financial contributions from their sales commissions when they complete the sale of each home they sell ? or when escrow closes ? and the fees are automatically deducted from their pay and given to Shelter Network. In addition participating real estate agents with the company can volunteer at facilities by reading to the children, tutoring youths and adults and provide in-kind donations.

The five APR offices on the peninsula are in Burlingame, San Mateo, Menlo Park, Half Moon Bay and Palo Alto. The 400 or so real estate agents in those offices can opt in to the program by donating $100, $250 or more from each property sale to the Shelter Network and Alain Pinel Realtors ?close of escrow program. There is no additional cost to consumers who use Alain Pinel services.

?This is an annual gift to Shelter Network that could be tens of thousands of dollars and will have an extremely positive impact on our community,? said Wondolowski. She added that she is pleased with the support to launch the program by her peers and APR managers in San Mateo and Half Moon Bay?Ron Gable, Mary Gebhardt in Menlo Park and Bob Gerlach in Palo Alto.

To celebrate the program’s launch, Shelter Network hosted an open house for APR sales professionals Dec. 7 at its Menlo Park facility (Haven Family House 260 Van Buren Road) and plans to host another for APR Realtors Dec. 14 at its facility in San Mateo? First Step for Families, at 325 Villa Terrace from 3 to 4:30 pm.

By attending the open houses at the two facilities, APR sales professionals and staff were and are able meet some of the residents and understand where their future earnings will go and how their financial support will be used.

The annual holiday party for Shelter Network residents is today from six to eight p.m. The event will be held at 325 Villa Terrace, Shelter Network: First Step For Families (cross street is San Mateo Drive ? near the car wash on the north side of San Mateo Drive) The benefit and Holiday Gift Exchange at Shelter Network?s First Step for Families will help approximately 60 to 70 adults, teenagers and about 80 children that are transitionally homeless. Further information can be obtained at (650) 340-8814.

Last year the real estate professionals from Alain Pinel Realtors’ Burlingame office donated approximately $4,000 to make this holiday party for under-privileged adults and their children possible. The holiday event and gifts are made possible by the monetary contribution.

The event will include a buffet dinner featuring turkey and all the trimmings, “Santa Claus” arriving by Fire Truck, as well as goodie bags for adults and kids, including gift certificates from Target, McDonalds and Baskin Robbins, toys, crayons, personal items such as bath gels and lotion, socks, candies and other items. The kids will also participate in face painting and photos with Santa.

Approximately 40 or more Alain Pinel Realtors representatives will be on hand, including Burlingame Manager Joanne Wondolowski, Office Administrator Chris McGuire. Ms. Wondolowski sits on Shelter Network’s Board of Directors.

Every day on the Peninsula, Shelter Network is breaking the cycle of homelessness and ?Leading the Way Back Home? for over 3,100 men, women and children by providing more than 150,000 nights of shelter and the comprehensive services they need to become self-sufficient and maintain stable housing. Shelter Network?s proven success returned 87% of the transitional housing program graduates to homes of their own last year.

For more information, visit www.shelternetwork.org.