Intero honored for philanthropy

Intero Real Estate Services President and CEO Tom Tognoli was honored Nov. 4 at the Corporate Philanthropic Awards in Silicon Valley and the company, which operates in San Benito County out of offices on San Benito Street in Hollister, received recognition for its philanthropic activities.

“We were one of the Top 50 Corporate philanthropists in Silicon Valley,” said Renee Kunz, vice president and managing broker of the local Intero Real Estate Services. “This is no small feat! We are in the company of Cisco, Oracle, Applied Materials and Google.

Locally, the Hollister Intero Real Estate Services provided the following grants in 2016:

C.A.S.A. (Court Appointed Special Advocates) of San Benito County

• Annual Grant $3,000
• Holiday Grant $3,000

Emmaus House

• Annual Grant $6,000
• Holiday Grant $3,000

Chamberlains Children Center

• Annual Grant $6,000
• Holiday Grant $3,000

The office has given more than $150,000 to local charities since its inception. Sonja Romero, an agent in the Hollister office, is the local Intero Foundation Representative. She is charged with reviewing the grants, presenting the grants to the Foundation Board and making sure the word gets out to local nonprofits.

“She takes time from her busy real estate schedule to attend monthly meetings to represent the interests of our Community,” Kunz said. “She is vested in representing the agents in the Hollister office and our passions for children. All the agents in our office rally behind Sonja and assist her with this mission. Our agents not only support the Intero Foundation, but donate countless hours to many other local charities.

“We have a great philosophy in this office: we believe the more you give the more you get. We take representing buyers and sellers seriously and we want to let the public know we believe in San Benito County. This thought is also in alignment with the mission of the Intero Foundation, which is to positively impact the growth and well-being of children in the communities we serve. To do so, we raise and donate money to local organizations that focus on supporting and assisting children with education, health, and personal development.”

The Intero Foundation has begun its annual Winter Coat Drive. People with unwanted coats that are in good condition can drop them off at Intero Real Estate Services, 800 San Benito St., Suite C. Those who donate will receive tickets for a drawing in which they could win gift cards, an Apple Watch 2, movie passes, gift baskets and many other prizes. Donors will receive three tickets for a coat, two for a sweatshirt, and one for a scarf or mittens.