Members of the Realtor® Association of Sarasota and Manatee (RASM) commended the success of the 2016 Leadership Academy class at the RASM Annual Meeting on September 27.
The RASM Leadership Academy is designed to train emerging Realtor® leaders who want to get involved, make a difference and expand their leadership skills. Each year, a new class of leaders completes a project of their choice. The initiative of the 2016 class was to bring awareness to the William E. Sadowski Affordable Housing Act. They achieved this effort with a multi-part project to empower and benefit local communities as well as Realtors® throughout the state.
With more than 100 members of RASM and the public in attendance, the class hosted an Affordable Housing Lunch & Learn on July 21 with Jaimie Ross, President and CEO of the Florida Housing Coalition. Attendees learned about the state of affordable housing in Sarasota and Manatee and how to access these funds in an effort to get more families in these homes for future stability.
In addition to the luncheon, the 2016 class also produced a dynamic video about the Sadowski Act, an initiative of the Florida Housing Coalition. The video was shared among Realtors® both virtually and at the 2016 Florida Realtors® Convention in August.
Lastly, the class made the decision to donate the surplus of money raised to cover costs of the video, promotional materials and Affordable Housing Lunch & Learn to Loveland Center, Inc. The Loveland Center is funded in part by Sadowski dollars and supports adults with developmental disabilities, teaching important life skills to equip students with independent living skills. The 2016 class leveraged their donation with a match in the Giving Partner’s Giving Challenge, resulting in a $2,300 donation to the center.
Congratulations to the graduates of the 2016 Leadership Academy:
- Andrea Capek
- Jody Carlson
- Bailey Dempsey
- Sue Klinowski
- Julia Montei
- Mary Northrup
- Elizabeth Reynolds
- Karen Sweat
- Shawna Hicks Cranston