The borough’s professsional organization of Realtors has received a big Thank You from a local elected for digging into their pockets – and hearts – for charity.
Parkchester Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda showed up at the Morris Park offices of the Bronx-Manhattan North Association of Realtors at the April 23 meeting of their board of governors to say “thank you for all you do to help our neighbors” and present a few citations for members’ good works, including helping a talented student in his district.
In April of 2013, Sepulveda asked BMNAR to help Alexandra Valle, a 10th grader at Mott Hall V school, who was selected as a Junior Statesman of America, to attend the prestigious summer program at Georgetown University. To attend, Alexandra needed to raise $3,000.00 by that June 13 to secure her seat.
“Assemblyman Sepulveda asked us to go to bat for Alexandra and we hit a ‘homerun,’” said Richard Guarino, president of BMNAR’s board.
“At the President’s Cocktail Reception on June 11th, we raised enough money to send her to Georgetown and for her to buy a few outfits.”
Sepulveda was present when Rubin Pikus, CEO of Millbrook Properties, donated his winnings after becoming the first to ever get a hole-in-one in a contest hole at BMNAR’s Golf and Tennis Outing on June 24, 2013.
Rubin donated the $10,000 he earned from his miraculous shot to two charities, one of which was Camp Good Days and Special Times. The Camp was chosen as BMNAR’s official charity in 1988 by Mark Engel, president of Langsam Property Services, who was then BMAR’s sitting president.
Engel has been directly involved in raising over $250,000 for the camp over the years.
In celebration of BMNAR’s 90th Anniversary, Assemblyman Sepulveda presented BMNAR with three citations. One citation was presented to BMNAR for the financial support it provided to Alexandra Valle; the second citation went to Rubin Pikus for donating his hole-in-one winnings to charity; and, the final citation was presented to Mark Engel for helping to raise over $250,000 to children and families affected by cancer.
“Today, the assemblyman hit a home-run for BMNAR,” said the assocation’s executive director, Eliezer Rodriguez. “I believe BMNAR has a new friend in Assemblyman Sepulveda.”
