Glenn Stein and his team at Realty Executive in The Villages have had a busy year impacting their community.
They help wherever they see a need, donating approximately $18,000-$20,000 to different local charities each year including Combat to Careers. Most recently, they hosted a musical bingo tournament which raised funds for children in need and are preparing to help host the Vietnam Wall Memorial in The Villages over Veteran’s Day.
However, Stein’s main focus is to help underprivileged children, a cause he holds close to his heart.
“I grew up as a homeless child myself,” Stein said. “It was just my mom and we lived in New York City and she didn’t make a lot of money. There were times in my childhood when we were just homeless. I wanted to move away from that and I have a heart for homeless kids. As I’ve done well in a lot of great ways, I see an opportunity to help other people.”
In September, he saw a need at a local soup kitchen in Wildwood, a community adjacent to The Villages. Homeless children who rely on their schools for meals during the school year turn to the soup kitchen during the summer. The soup kitchen was running low on food and the kids weren’t getting what they needed. Steins office donated about $3,000 and held a canned food drive to help refill the kitchen.
In addition to donating food, Realty Executives in The Villages provided baseball uniforms for Wildwood kids who struggled to buy their own. They also helped buy school uniforms for Puerto Rican students who moved the Wildwood after being affected by hurricane Irma.
Realty Executives in The Villages is also a strong supporter of the St. Jude’s Foundation , donating between $8 -10Kfor the past three years.
Stein believes it is important to give back and support surrounding communities that are less fortunate. Stein credits his agents for keeping their ears open and paying attention to what’s going on in the community.
“99 percent of the people in our area are older than 55,” Stein said. “The Villages in Florida is pretty much a retirement community so most people in the community are not poor. It’s pretty affluent. We saw a need and there are a lot of vets in the community. It also helps that a lot of people know people.”
He looks forward to continuing his charitable efforts and making a difference in the community.
