Philanthropy

For Focus Property Group, creating master plan communities means much more than just designing and planning parks, trails and infrastructure. It means truly “building community” by lending a hand to fill gaps in the short-term needs of many of the great organizations in our valley that provide assistance to those in need, and striving to find long-term solutions to social challenges.

Our valued team members have generously lent a hand to many worthy non-profits during the holiday months and throughout the year. Through their fundraising efforts, many charitable organizations have seen significant gains in their annual budgets, realized huge increases in revenues generated through their events and have been able to provide additional services in times of crisis.

John Ritter, who seeks to incorporate philanthropy into the very fabric of his corporate culture, created a unique program that empowers his employees to do much more than they thought possible in helping those in need in their community.

His challenge took the form of an in-house reality TV show dubbed “Community 911.” Company employees, and those of strategic partner Landtek, were divided into four teams, with each team working with a charitable organization of its choice. Taking this project well beyond the imagined limit, team members committed to rehabilitating and expanding a home for children of Child Haven; a new parcel of land for the foster care agency, Olive Crest; a new Wish House for the Make-A-Wish Foundation to host children faced with life threatening diseases; and the creation of a new pet care facility for the Shade Tree shelter that empowers abused women to leave difficult situations, knowing that their beloved pets can come with them and their children. With involvement by more than 100 employees, the Community 911 program raised more than $2 million in monetary contributions and in-kind donations and generated more than 4,100 hours of community service.

Additionally, in alliance with the Focus corporate philosophy, each of the company’s master planned communities embraces a social cause and a community partner, establishing within each community the philanthropic spirit we hope grows with each generation. Mountain’s Edge has been home to the Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation annual 5K for 10 years and the SNPCA annual Family Fur and Fun event for eight years. At Providence, residents are empowered to tackle literacy, as expressed through an ongoing relationship with Spread the Word Nevada.

Click on the “Philanthropy Links” button below to view all non-profits supported by Focus Property Group.

The corporate philanthropic spirit emanates from the heart of those who lead it. John Ritter and his significant other, Hilary Westrom, founded the Ritter Charitable Trust, which supports children and families in need in Southern Nevada. Among the many causes championed by the Trust is the reform of the existing foster care system, particularly as it relates to those aging out of the system. The Trust convened a task force to research the issue and put forth recommendations, out of which came the recently published Into the World: A Life Book, a guide for these young adults as they enter a life of independence. Additionally, the Trust has lent invaluable support to numerous organizations, including providing two years of bridge funding for the Clark County Legal Services who lost a federal grant to keep their pro bono services in place for battered women, and providing funding to Westcare’s triage center to keep their doors open until state funding could be allocated. For more information on the Ritter Charitable Trust and the many non-profit organizations it supports, click here: