Russ Lyon Foundation Ranks in the Large Corporation Category

We are delighted to share that The Russ Lyon Foundation has earned a spot on the Corporate Philanthropy List of the Phoenix Business Journal.

We were recognized in the Large Corporation category, standing alongside esteemed companies such as APS, COX, and Bank of America. In this recognition, we secured the 22nd position in terms of charitable contributions and an impressive 14th place in volunteer hours.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all those who have dedicated their time and effort to support our foundation. Your unwavering commitment is the driving force behind our growth, enabling us to make an even more significant impact within our community.

Rancho Feliz Weekend - January 2023

“THIS WEEKEND WAS VERY HUMBLING.” - KARLII DIGRAZIA

When we arrived in Agua Prieta, Mexico we stopped by a local Migrant Center that helps migrants that have been deported from the United States and are dropped off in Agua Prieta.  They provide food, water, and clothing and help with transportation back to where they migrated from. They had already had 90 people pass through their doors that day.  We then went to La Hacienda Feliz where we stayed for the weekend.  A safe and beautiful place where we connected with the local staff of Rancho Feliz Charitable Foundation and each other and ate our meals, which were fabulous!

Saturday we worked on two houses that were being built by the RFCF.  At the first house, we mixed and poured the concrete footings on an extra room that was being built for a family of 7.  The original room had burnt down.  We are also going to pay for the roof and windows to be installed.  At the second house, we helped with prepping the drywall and painting the patio roof.  We also toured the Vecinos Neighborhood built by Ranch Feliz.  The neighborhood included 42 homes, a daycare center, an adult education center, and scholarships for the children living in the homes to private school.  The children who attend the school are taught English and scholarships to public universities in Mexico are provided to those children who wish to attend college.  

On Sunday we provided and distributed 300 bags of food to families that are living in extreme poverty.  The bag of food will help feed a family of 5 for the week.  A food distribution committee selects the families that are truly in need and provides them with a food distribution ticket.  The recipients must earn their food by collecting a minimum of 20 pieces of discarded plastic bags/bottles. 

A Thank You from FIBCO Family Services Inc

The Russ Lyon Foundation strives to organize and work as a collective force, more powerful than the sum of the individuals, to improve the lives and communities of those in need while spreading compassion and kindness within our state and across our borders. The Russ Lyon Foundation received a beautiful thank you letter from FIBCO Family Services, INC., showing gratitude for the impact we can have in our community and thanking us for delivering on our words/values.

Dear Todd, Jim, and Tom,

What a team! What a delivery! On Wednesday May 18, 2022 you with your team delivered a transportation gift to FIBCO Family Services, INC.

Though there have been many oral and electronic praises and expressions o thanks, I want to additionally send you something more “traditional” for your reading and reocrd/files.

We are very pleased to gratefully acknoledge recipt of hte Chevy Van you persoanlly delivered to FIBCO Family Services Inc. It is much needed to replace the old van which was broken down from amny years of use in transporting people, goods, and servies for peopel in need. The pictuve of you and your team together with FIBCO Founder, learshership and volunteers is a wonderful images of what can be done whne we work together collaborating for the good of the whole communtiy.


Thank you Todd Gillenwater, Jim Lyon, Tom Locati, and the whole Russ Lyon Sotheby’s Internatioanl Realty team for your generosity to those in need.

Sincerely,

Ernest H. Urquahrt

We Donated A Van!

This week, we were able to fill a transportation need for FIBCO, a community outreach foundation serving downtown Phoenix through a donation of a Van.

This was accomplished through your support of our foundation and the additional individual sponsorship from your ownership, Tom, Todd and Jim. It was heartwarming to see their appreciation and know it will go a long way in helping them accomplish their mission serving those families and individuals in need.

Rancho Feliz Weekend with Betsy Dickinson

The last weekend in April, a group of 10 Russ Lyon SIR and APT associates traveled to Agua Prieta, Mexico in support of the Rancho Feliz Charitable Foundation for two nights & three days. While there, they assisted in the construction of two homes and participated in their regular food distribution. It was a heartwarming trip that we would recommend to anyone.

After the trip, we connected with Betsy Dickinson about her experience.

A Recap from Betsy Dickinson:

Friday

Friday we spend touring the area and gathering an understanding of all that has been accomplished and what still needs to be done. We visited the school, and the community built by Rancho Feliz.

Enjoyed Happy hour and dinner together provided by Rancho Feliz.

Saturday

Saturday morning after a good night’s rest in an amazing hacienda built just for volunteers like us. Absolutely spotless, comfortable, and beautiful. Piles of sand, cement, and lots of mixing turned into a strong foundation for a home which will add additional space for a family of 7 living in a very small space.

During this time, we voted to also pay an additional $1500 to purchase the roof, windows, and door to help complete this project. A group of ASU students followed us and built the red brick exterior wall. Lunch was provided at a local burrito stand serving yummy green chili cheese burritos and we all survived! Our afternoon was spent painting and drywalling a home in the finishing stages.

We rushed to the groomer to pick up a sweet puppy that was way overdue for grooming, so we had him shaved and bathed.

After well-needed showers, dinner was a celebration with one of the families and staff of Rancho Feliz and mariachi.

After scouring the town, a few of our crew found out that the Mexican community makes their own margarita mix and does not have premixed available!

Sunday

Sunday Morning post breakfast we filled 300 bags of food and distributed them in exchange for 20 pieces of recyclable trash. Perfect trade as we helped feed them and they helped clean up their community and homes.

Bety’s takeaways:

Serving others is a great way to team build.

Friendships were formed. Friendships were strengthened.

Things we never knew about each other were discovered.

We would all go again.

We would do our best to up the food drive to at least 500 bags

We would bring our premade margarita mix with us!

WEewould hopes to bring more youth and agents to share the experience with us.

We would have zero worries about the accommodations, as they are fabulous.

We would not bring food just in case, as the kitchen was meticulous, the cooks fantastic and plenty of delicious food, and bottled water was provided.

Our sponsor child is a happy healthy almost 4-year-old. He was away at a therapy school, as we learned he will be 4 and is not yet communicating, and has what appears to be a light bit of a right lazy eye. His dad is a psychologist, and his mother is a special ed teacher, so he is in good hands. It will be fun to watch him succeed in life with our support.

We will be offering this again in 2023 and we hope to see more of you go!

What would it take?

  • Where are our obstacles of why we have such a hard time getting involvement with this weekend?

  • Is it because it is a weekend, would midweek be better?

  • Was $300 to high of a cost?

Please share your thoughts, so we can improve this weekend!

Lyon's Pride Scholarship: Jazlyn Rosales

Jazlyn Rosales

Major: Nursing

Program: Maricopa Community College Foundation

Fall 2021

I just want to say a big thank you to the donors for donating and for making this scholarship opportunity possible. As a first-generation high school graduate and the first to go to college, I was scared and not really prepared for how I was going to pay for college. I am attending Mesa Community College because I come from a low-income family and sometimes it is hard to make ends meet for my parents and me. This scholarship will make it easier for me to attend school because being a full-time student can make it difficult to have a job. For example, I help my mom around the house and I also help her run errands. I get tired sometimes and I then have to focus on school work. I am given certain labs that take more than a day to complete since I have to gather materials and analyze data. I also have my English work on top of that. Your scholarship has taken a lot of the financial stress off my shoulders. Thank you!

Lyon's Pride Scholarship: Samantha Gonzales

Samantha Gonzales

Major: Associate in Business

Program: Maricopa Community College Foundation

Fall 2021

Thank you!

My name is Samantha Gonzales and I am a Hispanic/American first generation student. I am attending Mesa Community College this year to achieve my goal of being a business owner. This idea sparked when I was in school for massage therapy. My instructor was a business owner herself, and that was very inspiring to me. She encouraged me to go to college and pursue my dream. After successfully graduating from MCC I will use my degree to open a business of my own (a spa to be exact). I chose MCC because it opened a window of opportunity for lower-income students like me. MCC is giving me a chance to think bigger and change my mindset. At first, the idea of college didn’t seem available to me because not only was it too much money, but I thought I was set on just being a massage therapist. I thought that was enough, but I soon realized I had more potential in me. I asked myself why just work at a spa when I can own one? After that, I have been set on becoming successful, and receiving this scholarship will bring me one step closer to being the successful businesswoman I know I can be.

Again, thank you!


Rancho Feliz Weekend - April 2022

“THIS WEEKEND WAS VERY HUMBLING.” - KARLII DIGRAZIA

When we arrived in Agua Prieta, Mexico we stopped by a local Migrant Center that helps migrants that have been deported from the United States and are dropped off in Agua Prieta.  They provide food, water, and clothing and help with transportation back to where they migrated from. They had already had 90 people pass through their doors that day.  We then went to La Hacienda Feliz where we stayed for the weekend.  A safe and beautiful place where we connected with the local staff of Rancho Feliz Charitable Foundation and each other and ate our meals, which were fabulous!

Saturday we worked on two houses that were being built by the RFCF.  At the first house, we mixed and poured the concrete footings on an extra room that was being built for a family of 7.  The original room had burnt down.  We are also going to pay for the roof and windows to be installed.  At the second house, we helped with prepping the drywall and painting the patio roof.  We also toured the Vecinos Neighborhood built by Ranch Feliz.  The neighborhood included 42 homes, a daycare center, an adult education center, and scholarships for the children living in the homes to private school.  The children who attend the school are taught English and scholarships to public universities in Mexico are provided to those children who wish to attend college.  

On Sunday we provided and distributed 300 bags of food to families that are living in extreme poverty.  The bag of food will help feed a family of 5 for the week.  A food distribution committee selects the families that are truly in need and provides them with a food distribution ticket.  The recipients must earn their food by collecting a minimum of 20 pieces of discarded plastic bags/bottles. 

Rancho Feliz Weekend with Karlii diGrazia

“This weekend was very humbling.” - Karlii diGrazia.

Last weekend, a group of Russ Lyon Sotheby's International Realty and Arizona Premier Title associates traveled to Agua Prieta, Mexico in support of the Rancho Feliz Charitable Foundation.

Karlii diGrazia, a Russ Lyon Foundation council member, was one of the associates that part took in this trip. While there, Karlii assisted in the construction of two homes and participated in their regular food distribution. It was a heartwarming trip that I would recommend to anyone.

She posted a video about her experience on social media with the following caption:

This weekend was very humbling.

- -

Did you know that the average worker in Agua Prieta takes home $400 per month? And the cost of living isn’t much lower than it is here in Arizona?

I spent the weekend looking through a series of homes with a curtain for a front door that were smaller than my master bedroom. Not only that, they had 7 people living in the home.

- -

We spend our lives deciding what car we should drive, or how hard we need to work to buy the next fashion trend or tech device. Could you imagine being limited by your culture to $400 per month? What would you prioritize? Your food? Your car? Your mortgage? Your kid’s education?

Volunteering isn’t about you. It’s not about your time, your money, or your comfort. It’s about giving back to those who can barely feed their family because of circumstances that are simply out of their control. It’s about helping those who can’t afford a shovel, concrete, or a roof to help then have an extra 200 sq ft so their family can “spread out”.

- -

When I was growing up, I would occasionally come home and the electricity would be off because the bill wasn’t paid. We would go to the food pantry for groceries. Looking back, I’m grateful we had a house, an education, our health.

My mom instilled in me that no matter your circumstance, you are able to help. You are able to give and support others who are less fortunate than yourself. Life is too short to be caught up in greed and selfishness.

- -

I would like to ask 100 people to donate $10 to Rancho Feliz so we can support another 100 bags of food for our next group trip. These bags support a family of 4 for a week and include essentials like rice and beans.

$10 is 2 coffees at Starbucks, or maybe 1/2 an hour of your hourly pay, but that $10 is a full day’s work for someone in Agua Prieta.

- -

“… to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived; that is to have succeeded.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Follow Karlii on Instagram: karliidigrazia

Lyon's Pride Scholarship: Spencer German

Spencer German

Major: Aircraft Maintenance Technology

Program: Maricopa Community College Foundation

Fall 2021

Dear Scholarship Donor,

Thank you! I am a first-generation American, the first in my family to serve in the United States Armed Forces, and the first in my family to go to college. Since I was a child, I have always been intrigued by airplanes and helicopters. When I graduated high school, I joined the Navy to work on aircraft and I fell even more in love. When I got out of the Navy, I knew that I wanted to be a part of the aviation industry and obtain an airframe and power plant (A&P) license from the Federal Aviation Administration.

After I have my certificate of completion, I will complete testing with the FAA and obtain my power plant license. Holding both my airframe and power plant license, I will be certified by the FAA to inspect and perform maintenance on aircraft. I will find a job in the aviation industry doing something that I love to do. This will impact my life in such a positive way. I will be working doing something that I am passionate about, and it will bring financial stability to me, my wife, and our future family.

Receiving this scholarship has provided the support I need to pursue my education. The Aircraft Maintenance Technology program requires a personal laptop, reading/studying materials, as well as a plethora of tools that are not provided by the school. Your scholarship has removed a large financial burden from my shoulders.

Thank you!