At Realty Income, one of our core values is to give more than we take, which is embodied in the way we work within our communities and the environment. Our focus on this has enabled us to partner with those who share in our beliefs and commitment to equality through building awareness, advocacy, allyship and activism. Yet, we were faced with a unique challenge this year in uncovering new avenues of partnerships where we could provide continued value and service to our community and the environment.

As we focused on this endeavor, we saw the opportunity to empower the next generation of leaders through the establishment of our first ever “Education to Employment” path with Cristo Rey High School. Cristo Rey is an educational institution aimed at providing diverse learning opportunities to underserved youth. Through this “education to employment” partnership, our goal was focused on forming a long-lasting relationship with students by engaging them through multiple channels and connection points along their educational journey. Firstly, by building a relationship with them and our employees in the form of a working internship as well as educational speaking and connection opportunities with the school. Secondly, when students were prepared and ready to go to college, we’d offer scholarship grants to help them financially pay for college and reinforce our connection through our college internship program. Finally, once a student graduates, we’d offer them a position with Realty Income, aligned to their interests and academic background. 

As this is the first year of our program, we are off to a strong start with 3 students participating in the program, and look to expand our efforts to 6 students in 2022. It is through this initiative that we continue our dedication to making lasting change in youth and enable them to achieve their dreams.

Shannon Kehle; Jonathan Hussey