CHARITY FOCUS
The Kerby & Cristina Real Estate Experts Team has always been dedicated to giving back. As a result–and with the support of a passionate team–we give generously each year to a handful of very special charities.
One of these charities is Homes of Hope, an organization that builds houses for people in poverty in 23 countries across the world. Recently, we not only sponsored two homes through this program, but several team members traveled to Mexico to build them.
Another charity we support is Congo Initiative, a nonprofit that provides university education to people in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and invests in its economy. DRC is one of the poorest countries in the world and one of the most difficult places to be a woman. We’ve sponsored six scholarships so far, and we believe that if we keep giving, we can make a real impact.
We also invest in Feed My Starving Children, a global nonprofit based in the Twin Cities. We are extremely blessed to help ensure children everywhere consistently have enough to eat. In 2021, we donated more than 33,000 meals, and the team regularly helped pack the meals.
Additionally, our donations to Neighborhood Development Center–a community development organization based in St. Paul–have returned nearly $28,000 to communities right here in the Twin Cities. We truly believe in what they do for our communities.
It’s important to note that none of our giving would be possible without the hard work of our dedicated team members and from the support of the clients we serve. Through supporting our business, you are giving back to people in need. Together, we believe we’re truly making a difference.
WHAT CONNECTED YOU TO HOMES OF HOPE?
Cristina: An employee at Cove actually recommended it. Supporting it just made sense. We help people with real estate – Homes of Hope builds housing for people in need. They work in 23 countries, including Mexico, the country I grew up in. So, we chose to support their program in Ensenada, a very poor area just south of San Diego.
We were excited about the opportunity to travel to Ensenada and build our first house with our teammates. We are also excited we brought two of our daughters, who are 7 and 9. We want to instill in them a spirit of service and the importance of using our blessings to give to people who don’t have enough.
WHAT’S YOUR CONNECTION TO MEXICO?
Cristina: I was born and raised there, so it will always have a special place in my heart. My parents are from Minnesota, but moved to Mexico City about 45 years ago. My dad taught at local universities at first, and later on he and my mom served as faith-based marriage and family counselors. I moved to Minnesota for college and have been here ever since!
WHAT OTHER ORGANIZATIONS DO YOU SUPPORT, AND WHY?
Cristina: We support Congo Initiative, a nonprofit that provides university education to people in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and invests in its economy. I worked for a nonprofit in DRC before Kerby and I got married. He was able to visit — that’s actually where he proposed! So we both care a lot about the people there. DRC is one of the poorest countries in the world and one of the worst places to be a woman. We’ve sponsored six scholarships so far, and we believe that if we keep giving, we can make a real impact.
We also invest a lot in Feed My Starving Children, a global nonprofit based in the Twin Cities. We are extremely blessed to help ensure children everywhere consistently have enough to eat. So far, our businesses have donated more than 33,000 meals this year alone, and we also help pack the meals regularly as a team.
Finally, our donations have returned nearly $28,000 to communities right here in the Twin Cities through Neighborhood Development Center, a community development organization based in St. Paul. I worked there right after college and really believe in what they do.
IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU’D LIKE TO SHARE ABOUT YOUR RECENT TRIP WITH HOMES OF HOPE?
Cristina: Kerby and I have a crazy vision of building 1,000 homes for people who don’t have access to safe, reliable housing. The road to achieving big goals begins with a few steps, so we’re really excited to start out this year by building two homes. The trip to Ensenada was fun and we made memories, but the best part is that we provided a safe, furnished home to two families of 6 who were living on dirt floors in tin shacks.
It’s important to note that none of our giving would be possible without the hard work of our dedicated team members and the support of the clients we serve. Through supporting our businesses, you are giving back to people in need. Together, I believe we’re truly making a difference.
One of these charities is Homes of Hope, an organization that builds houses for people in poverty in 23 countries across the world. Recently, we not only sponsored two homes through this program, but several team members traveled to Mexico to build them.
Another charity we support is Congo Initiative, a nonprofit that provides university education to people in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and invests in its economy. DRC is one of the poorest countries in the world and one of the most difficult places to be a woman. We’ve sponsored six scholarships so far, and we believe that if we keep giving, we can make a real impact.
We also invest in Feed My Starving Children, a global nonprofit based in the Twin Cities. We are extremely blessed to help ensure children everywhere consistently have enough to eat. In 2021, we donated more than 33,000 meals, and the team regularly helped pack the meals.
Additionally, our donations to Neighborhood Development Center–a community development organization based in St. Paul–have returned nearly $28,000 to communities right here in the Twin Cities. We truly believe in what they do for our communities.
