GBREB, to Award $120K in Scholarships

Event Will Honor Industry Icons Robert Beal and Kevin Phelan; Keynote by Boston Mayor Marty Walsh

BOSTON – The Greater Boston Real Estate Board (GBREB) and college financial aid services advisor uAspire will host the inaugural GBREB Foundation Scholarship Fund Leadership Breakfast at the Boston Harbor Hotel on May 27th from 7:30-9 AM. The Foundation will award over $120,000 in scholarship assistance to approximately 25 low-income, college-bound students from the Greater Boston area at the event, which will be chaired by Mahmood Malihi, Co-President of Leggat McCall Properties (LMP). The Leadership Breakfast will also honor longtime industry philanthropic champions Robert L. Beal of Related Beal and Kevin Phelan of Colliers International, and will feature a keynote address by Boston Mayor Martin J. “Marty” Walsh.
Beal, President of Related Beal, will be receiving the uAspire Visionary Award for his early work related to college access for students and for helping to found the nonprofit uAspire, as well as his countless charitable endeavors to help young people across this region find academic and professional success. Phelan, Co-Chairman of Colliers International, will be honored with uAspire’s “First One” Award. Kevin serves in various capacities with a host of charitable foundations in Greater Boston, and like many of the students that the GBREB Foundation Scholarship Fund and uAspire serves, was the first member of his family to graduate from college with a Bachelor’s degree. His story serves as a powerful example of the transformative power of higher education to today’s youth.

GBREB and uAspire joined forces in 2012, and in the first three years of the alliance have distributed over $400,000 in “last dollar” scholarships – intended to fill the gap between students’ financial aid and the real costs of college, such as computers, books and supplies, and room and board – with the GBREB Foundation providing the funding and uAspire administering the scholarships. The scholarships are awarded based on demonstrated academic achievement, leadership experience, extracurricular involvement, and demonstrated financial need, range from $1,000 to $5,000 per year per student, and are guaranteed for two years.

At the Leadership Breakfast, GBREB and uAspire will also unveil the next phase of their collaboration, the “College to Career Initiative”, the centerpiece of which is a summer student internship program designed to cultivate a more diverse generation of real estate professionals in Greater Boston. The paid 6-8 week program will begin this summer and connect economically disadvantaged but academically gifted students with firms involved in the various facets of the commercial real estate industry, including development, architecture, engineering, construction and finance. An integral component of the internship will be the pairing of students with a mentor to guide them, not only during the internship but through the academic year as they contemplate a career in the CRE industry.

During the Leadership Breakfast, each sponsored table will be accompanied by a scholarship student, and current sponsors for the event include: Related Beal, Winn Development, The Architectural Team, A.W. Perry, Bank of America, Beacon Communities, Elkus/Manfredi Architects, Equity Residential, John Moriarty & Associates, Leggat McCall Properties, Nixon Peabody LLP, Perry Brokerage Associates, Cambridge Savings Bank, Gilbane Building Co., Keith Construction, McCall and Almy, Inc., Nordblom Management, Riemer & Braunstein LLP, and Wessling Architects. Those interested in sponsorship opportunities should contact Tom Doyle at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).