(ROCKWALL, TX — June 1, 2018) Local banker Jennifer Ott and realtor Delena Radney have joined forces to give back to their community’s heroes in need through the Homes for Heroes program.
Through the program, Ott and Radney assist firefighters, law enforcement, military (active, reserves and veterans), healthcare workers, EMS and teachers with finding and purchasing their perfect home, and as a thank you to those heroes, give back a portion of their commission.
“We provide top notch service all the way through the process,” Ott said. “Just because they receive a portion of our commission at the end, there’s no red tape; they don’t have to pay that back and it’s not a grant program. It truly is just us saying thank you and that we’re going to give back.”
Homes for Heroes, Inc. is the largest nationwide network of affiliate real estate specialists and local business affiliates committed to providing easy ways for the heroes of the nation to save on a home, and on every day home-related purchases. Homes for Heroes, Inc. was established shortly after 9/11 in Minneapolis, MN by current CEO Ruth Johnson and family members Kacy Mlenar, Helen Johnson and Mark Micek.
Ott, a mortgage banker at Mid America Mortgage, said she was felt a calling to join the Homes for Heroes cause after her brother Chad Drake was killed in the war in Iraq in 2004.
“I contacted the Johnson family when I heard what they were doing in Minnesota, and it just clicked that we needed to make this bigger, that I needed to be bigger and figure out how I could put my boots on the ground to serve my brother and serve a purpose,” Ott said. “And that’s exactly what Delena and I did; we came together as a lender and a real estate agent and decided we were going to serve our communities head on.”
Radney, who grew up in Rockwall and works as a realtor at Coldwell Banker, has a dad and brother who both serve with the Rockwall Fire Department. She joined Ott in serving with the Homes for Heroes program in 2016.
“I’ve always had a heart for veterans and people who serve our country, so when I learned about Homes for Heroes, my heart just started pounding,” Radney said. “I knew this was something I wanted to be a part of.”
Ott and Radney developed such a passion for serving those who serve others that they began to come up with other amazing ways to show their gratitude for community heroes, such as making pancake breakfasts for local fire departments at least once a month.
“We’re delivering things that our police officers need, that our schools need. We’re there to let them know that we’re not only just there for them to help if they have a need in real estate, but also here to help them in the community if they need something,” Ott said.
Ott said the Homes for Heroes program has allowed her and Radney to tap into their servants’ hearts and pour their passion into serving those who serve their communities on a daily basis.
“Our hearts are huge. We want to do more and we want this program to be known in the community so that others will be able to receive the gift,” Ott said.
To learn more about the program visit homesforheroes.org or call Jennifer Ott at 214-476-3687 and Delena Radney at 214-535-7877.
Story and photos by Austin Wells.
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