Making a positive social impact is more than dollars and cents
“The responsibility of business is to use its will and resources to advance a cause greater than itself, protect the people and places in which it operates, and generate more resources so that it can continue doing all those things for as long as possible.” - Simon Sinek, The Infinite Game
Changing the world one home at a time is the motto behind Saydam Properties Group, a real estate service in Montgomery County. Founders Han and Sheena Saydam use their business as an “accelerator and incubator of generosity.” They invest some portion of the commission they receive back into the community.
Live in the Washington Metropolitan Area? You will often find Sheena Saydam supporting small businesses, feeding the homeless in Baltimore, creating opportunities for local businesswomen to network, and finding ways to give back to her community in Montgomery County. She believes that people are full of abundance but often don’t know where to begin or how to give back to their community. So she gives them a nudge in the right direction, making connections among the people in her community. She connects the right people at the right time with giving back at the forefront of every relationship.
Saydam is known for her philanthropy work supporting local causes such as:
- The Treehouse is a child advocacy program that provides support services for more than 600 children in Montgomery County who have faced abusive situations.
- Comfort Cases, a 100% volunteer-run nationwide organization, provides a backpack filled with comfort and personal care items for youth entering the foster care system.
- Creating a library for the inmates at Jessup Correctional Facility. The facility received more than one thousand book donations in just over two weeks.
- Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless, whose vision is to “end homelessness in Montgomery County by building a community where everyone has a safe, stable, and affordable place to call home.”
Saydam believes in a mission-driven team where dollars and cents are the measures of community impact. The impact is dignity and hope. The impact is empowering people to give back to their communities. It’s people coming together from all backgrounds and seeing the effects of generosity. Everyone benefits. SPG has donated $100,000 to charity and special causes year to date.
Giving Back
As a self-described army brat, Saydam has a special place in her heart for military families. So her mission-driven team is giving back this season by hosting a Thank the Troops breakfast at True Food the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Saydam Properties Group will treat 100 active duty service members, veterans, and their families to breakfast in Gaithersburg. Afterward, the community will clap out and thank the military families for their service.
SPG is also investing in Luke’s Wings, based in Washington, DC. According to their webpage, Luke's Wings provides emergency travel planning services and airplane tickets for the families and loved ones of wounded, ill, and injured service members, veterans, and fallen officers, during hospital recovery and rehabilitation.
Our real estate team is honored to invest in Luke's Wings and the work they do to reunite service members and their families during their recovery. —Sheena Saydam, SPG managing partner and philanthropist.
Saydam’s Suggestions
It’s not just one person making an impact. It’s the ripple effect, pulling in your neighbor and seeing how far the power of generosity can go. It’s building relationships with one another and local organizations.
Saydam suggests looking at your community and asking yourself, “What makes you heated? What can you change? If you can’t find an organization that supports your cause, do it yourself.”
Not sure where to start? Ask yourself these 3 questions:
- What can I give back to my community?
- What is my why or purpose?
- Who needs help?
Look to your community to see where you can make a difference and empower one another to make those changes.