CUPERTINO, CA - Last year after 30 years of service, the Russell Bede School located in San Mateo closed its doors. The school had become a place for Bay Area children whose learning differences made mainstream schools a challenge. It was a place where these kids could enjoy the experience of learning. They provided a small class setting with only 6 students per teacher which not only gave kids more attention, it also allowed the teachers to modify lessons to meet a students’ needs whether they battle with reading disorders like dyslexia, processing disorders that make it difficult to comprehend or express information, or speech and language difficulties.
Upon closing, one of the stipulations was that all of the organization’s resources, tools, equipment, etc. be donated to other local nonprofit organizations benefitting children in need. Intero Real Estate agent, Lana Morin Pierce, out of the San Mateo office, managed the sale of the property, a 1907 Victorian house and also assisted with finding homes for many of the donations.
This disbursement to nonprofits also applied to any funding they still had. Much to Pierce’s surprise, Intero Real Estate Services’ own nonprofit, The Intero Foundation, dedicated to helping children in need, was chosen as one of the lucky recipients receiving $62,500. Other organizations benefitting from the Russell Bede School’s closing included CASA of San Mateo County, InnVision Shelter Network, Mid-Peninsula Boys and Girls Club and more.
"As Board Members and caretakers of Russell Bede School, we felt it was important to continue to serve the children and families in our community by disbursing our remaining assets to those organizations that are well-qualified to do so,” states Peggy Myers, the Founder’s Daughter and President of the Board of Russell Bede School. “We are grateful that there are so many great organizations out there to carry on the work." 
In addition to this very generous donation, The Intero Foundation also hosted 3 fundraising events this last month. Hot Wheels For Kids, the annual car show took place on May 2nd and raised over $12,000. SVGives, a bay area wide fundraising event spearheaded by the Silicon Valley Community Foundation brought in over $20,000 on May 5th. And the group’s annual bowling night raised $10,000. This combined with the $62,000 from the Russell Bede School brings $100,000 to the Intero Foundation. This is the most the Intero Foundation has collected in a single month since its inception in 2002.
“It’s through these donations that we can continue to support kids based organizations throughout our community,” says Pierce. “Just last month we were able to give $48,000 in donations to 8 nonprofits which wouldn’t be possible without the continued support of donors in our community and beyond.”
As the Intero Foundation gives a series of grants multiple times a year, last month, they approved grants to the following organizations:
- Child Advocates of Silicon Valley ($8,000) – Appoints trained Court Appointed Special Advocates to children in foster care to provide a constant, supportive presence throughout their time there.
- Community School of Music and Arts ($3,000) – An Art and Music education center where people of all ages and abilities can discover, develop and nurture their creativity.
- Able Works ($5,000) – Equips at-risk teenagers with financial education, life skills and assets that enable them to live free from oppression and poverty.
- Parents Helping Parents ($6,000) – Provides information, training and support services for families who have children with special needs and the professions who serve them.
- BAWSI (Rollers Program) ($10,000) – Introduces students with disabilities to adaptive physical activity in a non-threatening and accessible way.
- Humane Society SV (Compassion in Action) ($5,000) – Teaches at-risk children self-management, relationship skills, and self-awareness through structured interactions with both people and animals.
- PACE ($5,000) – Provides high quality programs for individuals with autism and associated developmental disabilities.
- South Bay Teen Challenge ($6,000) – Provides recovery for men, women, teens, children, and families with destructive, abusive, and addictive lifestyles through mentoring, education, training, and spiritual direction.
To find out more about the Intero Foundation, visit the website at interofoundation.org.
About the Intero Foundation:
Funded, promoted and governed by Intero agents and employees, the Intero Foundation is a non–profit organization guided by the principle that one must give in order to receive and committed to helping children in need. Since its inception in 2002, the organization has raised more than $3 million and has supported over 140 charities that positively impact the growth and well-being of children in need.
About the Intero® Brand:
Intero Real Estate Services, Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate and wholly owned subsidiary of HomeServices of America Inc, serves Northern California with 13 offices throughout the greater Silicon Valley. The Intero Franchise network is comprised of nearly 50 affiliates located in Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, Tennessee and Texas. The company is headquartered in California’s Silicon Valley.
Find more information about Intero at www.interorealestate.com.
Find more information about HomeServices at www.homeservices.com.