When you are thinking about working with a real estate agency to help buy or sell a home, it’s crucial to consider how it invests in the community it operates in. While you can tell a lot about a company’s ethos by how it treats its clients, you can learn just as much by looking at how it responds to local needs. For Realty Shop STL and its parent company Vue Enterprises, philanthropy and community support are woven into their DNA.

For its annual fundraising initiative, Realty Shop STL recently made a $10,000 donation to the Gateway Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Cystic fibrosis (also known as CF) is a progressive, genetic disease that affects the lungs, pancreas and other organs. The foundation estimates that there are currently around 40,000 children and adults living with the condition in the U.S. It’s a cause that has a personal connection for Realty Shop STL president and owner Amanda Alejandro and her husband, Vue Enterprises CEO Jay Steinback. “My younger sister Julia was born with cystic fibrosis,” Steinback says. “The disease has drastically impacted our family and continues to do so. We’re always looking for ways we can help the people who are affected by this lifelong condition.”

Julia passed away in 2018 at the age of 35—more than doubling her initial prognosis of only living to 16. Even though his sister lost her fight, Steinback is grateful for the work the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation has done to promote innovation in treatment. It’s the nonprofit’s mission to cure the disease and provide all people living with it the opportunity to lead long, fulfilling lives. “Thankfully, cystic fibrosis is a disease that impacts thousands, not millions,” he notes. “We’re lucky to have such a wonderful organization dedicated to services, education and research. It’s inspiring to see the breakthroughs being made, and Realty Shop STL is excited to support that work.”

Even without Steinback’s personal connection to cystic fibrosis, he says that philanthropic initiatives like this are a natural fit for Realty Shop STL and Vue Enterprises. Since both companies are rooted in the St. Louis community, it only makes sense that they share a focus on giving back. “As business leaders, we have a civic responsibility to the communities we serve,” he explains. “It’s always been a core mission of Vue Enterprises and Realty Shop STL to ensure we invest back into St. Louis by supporting the amazing organizations that are doing important work in our community.”

Realty Shop STL is challenging the community to match its $10,000 donation by Dec. 16. Steinback notes that support is more important than ever for individuals with cystic fibrosis. “Whether you know someone affected by cystic fibrosis or not, we’ve all been impacted by the pandemic,” he says. “Since cystic fibrosis damages the lungs, COVID-19 has made the world a significantly more dangerous place for CF patients. Offering support is something we can do to help people like my sister. We hope that St. Louis will donate to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation so that they can work toward a cure for this disease.”

Realty Shop STL, a part of Vue Enterprises, is challenging the St. Louis community to match its $10,000 donation to the Gateway Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation by Dec. 16. Pictured on the cover: President and owner Amanda Alejandro and Vue Enterprises CEO Jay Steinback. For more information, call 314.310.4110 or visit realtyshopstl.com.

Cover design by Julie Streiler
Photo courtesy of Realty Shop STL

Pictured at top: Julia Steinback
Photo courtesy of Realty Shop STL