Intero adopts children’s center for the holidays

Right: Intero Real Estate Services, Hollister, staff pose with some of the gifts for Chamberlain's Children Center.

Christmas tends to bring out the best in people, and large companies are no exception. Many businesses will donate money, toys, or food to local charities, and in some cases, even adopt a family to care for during the holiday season.
The agents at Intero Real Estate Services in Hollister; however, decided to go a step further this year. Rather than adopt just one local family, the office adopted Chamberlain’s Children Center, a child and family service agency that works with children and families who have experienced trauma.
“We decided as a group that it would be more beneficial to help children,” said Renee Kunz, a realtor with Intero who has been very active in community organizations. “We wanted to give back to the community, and thought this would be a great way to help.”
Chamberlain’s Children Center in Hollister offers a number of services, including residential care, special education for non-public school students, emergency/respite shelter, in home child abuse prevention and intervention services, and a supervised visitation and exchange program. Intero’s staff of 61 employees adopted 24 children receiving services through Chamberlain’s, Kunz said.
“Each child had a wish list of three items,” she said. “Our whole office participated, and we assigned agents to do the shopping, and agents to do wrapping. We had everything available for Chamberlain’s to pick up on Thursday (before Christmas).”
Kunz said her office annually participates in several charity functions, including Small Steps, which provides coats and shoes to K-8 students in the county and to which Intero Hollister gave $10,000 this year, United Way, and Emmaus House.
“We are a very giving organization,” she said. “The whole point of giving is to assist others in time of need. We are very blessed in real estate. We live in a wonderful community where we can earn a decent living. We are very focused on giving back.”
Chris Lompa, with the San Benito County Office of Education, says Chamberlain’s became a focus of Intero’s charitable actions after one of its agents, Jackie MacAbee, became involved with the COE’s surrogate parent program.
“Part of my job is to look for and train surrogate parents,” said Lompa, a program specialist with SELPA (Special Education Local Plan Area). “Often, a surrogate parent is appointed because a parent’s rights have been revoked. Someone needs to step in and make sure the children’s rights are protected. Jackie got involved with this and was trained as a surrogate, and then she thought about having her office adopt Chamberlain’s this year for Christmas. Now, I’m hoping her interest in the program will help get more people involved.”
Kunz said several agents have become involved with the mentor program, and she says that she anticipates more will join.
“We care about this community,” she said. “We shop local and live local. Really, we are the first link in the community. When buyers come to us, we have to have a vast knowledge of the community. Because of that we see the needs of the community. We don’t do what we do for the publicity. It’s not about that. It’s about being able to sleep at night. We do what we do because it’s important.”

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