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Realtors® and the Community
Realtors® care about the community in which they live and work. They fight for affordable homeownership opportunities, take pride in giving back to the community through volunteer work, and recognize those citizens whose extraordinary contributions have enriched our area. PMAR surveyed our members about their community involvement and in the past year, members have donated an impressive 3,600 hours to community service and either helped to raise or donated $150,000. For a full list of charities that PMAR’s members volunteered for or donated money to in the past year, click here.
2012 Future First Citizen
Sean Sakaguchi, Tigard High School
Sakaguchi founded and became President of the Literacy Initiative at Tigard High School (LIT), and in the past year, contributed 50 hours to that effort and secured approximately $5,000 worth of material donations. LIT began with students meeting to read novels and discuss, much like a book club. However, the group, under Sakaguchi’s leadership, soon expanded to volunteer at the Tigard Public Library and conducted their first annual book drive, which resulted in the donation of over 2,000 books to the Tigard/Tualatin Caring Closet. The LIT’s latest new endeavor is to organize groups of Tigard High School students to visit Durham Elementary School and read to kindergartners.
Sakaguchi was also critical to the establishment of the Sparrow Club at his school. The Sparrow Club is an organization dedicated to helping meet medical needs for local impoverished children. Every year, the school is assigned a new “sparrow” child suffering from a chronic disease, and the Club is in charge of bringing together the community to support the family in need. Sean’s determination made the Sparrow Club a permanent part of Tigard High School, and his efforts helped secure sponsors, establish a community-wide publicity program, and plan a Tigard vs. Tualatin Powderpuff game, with all proceeds going to “Sparrows” in the district. Sean effectively developed the system for an executive board comprised of seven committees to oversee nearly half of the entire student body (nearly 1,000 students), creating one of the largest and most effective Sparrow programs in the country. The Sparrow Club is now on track to raise between $50,000 and $100,000 (compared to the typical average of $4,000).
“Organizing this project has been one of the largest, individual accomplishments I’ve seen a student complete for the community at Tigard High,” said Frank Caro, Tigard High School Advisor of Key Club/NHS/FBLA/MECHA/Sparrow Club.
Sakaguchi also serves as an officer with the National Honor Society. In the past year he has contributed 200 hours combined to NHS and the Sparrow Club, and helped raise approximately $9,000 in cash and in-kind contributions.
Sakaguchi was also critical to the establishment of the Sparrow Club at his school. The Sparrow Club is an organization dedicated to helping meet medical needs for local impoverished children. Every year, the school is assigned a new “sparrow” child suffering from a chronic disease, and the Club is in charge of bringing together the community to support the family in need. Sean’s determination made the Sparrow Club a permanent part of Tigard High School, and his efforts helped secure sponsors, establish a community-wide publicity program, and plan a Tigard vs. Tualatin Powderpuff game, with all proceeds going to “Sparrows” in the district. Sean effectively developed the system for an executive board comprised of seven committees to oversee nearly half of the entire student body (nearly 1,000 students), creating one of the largest and most effective Sparrow programs in the country. The Sparrow Club is now on track to raise between $50,000 and $100,000 (compared to the typical average of $4,000).
“Organizing this project has been one of the largest, individual accomplishments I’ve seen a student complete for the community at Tigard High,” said Frank Caro, Tigard High School Advisor of Key Club/NHS/FBLA/MECHA/Sparrow Club.
Sakaguchi also serves as an officer with the National Honor Society. In the past year he has contributed 200 hours combined to NHS and the Sparrow Club, and helped raise approximately $9,000 in cash and in-kind contributions.
Past Recipients:
2011 Future First Citizen
Kelsey West, Riverdale High School
2010 Future First Citizen
Amy Elaine Carlton, Lake Oswego High School
2009 Future First Citizen
Dana Bacharach, Lincoln High School
2008 Future First Citizen
Lynette Blunck, Canby High School
2007 Future First Citizen
Dustin Skoubo, David Douglas High School
2006 Future First Citizen
Kevin Wong, Clackamas High School
