REAL ESTATE

Village Fund marks $2.2M in giving to Nashville-area nonprofits

Bill Lewis
For The Tennessean
Volunteers work outside a home being repaired by Hands On Nashville.

Realtor Virginia Degerberg enjoys helping clients find the home of their dreams. She also likes knowing each of her real estate transactions helps someone in need stay warmer in the winter, supports the arts, makes Nashville greener and helps the region become a better place to live, work and raise a family.

She gives a portion of each commission to the Village Fund, the charitable initiative of Village real estate company. This month, the fund reached a milestone of giving $2.2 million to nonprofits since the fund began 22 years ago.

“If I live in the area and work for a company in the area, and I can make a difference in our community, I should do that,” said Degerberg, who has been contributing to the Village Fund for 17 years. 

Josef Kaul, director of programs for Hands On Nashville, is grateful for their generosity. The organization, which matches volunteers with opportunities to serve, uses funding from the Village Fund for a number of programs, including making repairs for low-income homeowners.

It’s not unusual for volunteers to repair “gaping holes” in walls and windows, he said.

“They save money on their utility bills and feel more comfortable in the summer and winter. Before, they were heating and cooling the neighborhood. Now they are heating their home,” said Kaul.

Hands On Nashville has worked on more than 300 homes. The Village Fund has financed the repair of 85 houses since 2012, said Kaul.

Hands On Nashville volunteer Meghan Scholl seals a window frame of a house under repair.

Small contributions to the fund have made a big difference over time, said Mark Deutschmann, founder and CEO of Village.

“We’ve always been a different kind of real estate brokerage, passionate about making a positive difference in the world and giving back to our community year-round through the Village Fund. In the process, we’ve created a partnership with many of these social profits in the community that is a virtuous circle,” he said.

“It’s gratifying to see this little fund we started 22 years ago hit a $2.2 million milestone and know we’ve supported so many local organizations doing important work in our city. It’s true that a lot of a little is a lot,” said Deutschmann.

During an event marking its milestone of giving, Village awarded grants to about two dozen nonprofits. Hands On Nashville received $22,000. Music Neighbors/Helping Our Music Evolve and Nashville Civic Design Center each received $5,000. The others each received $1,000.

Hands On Nashville plans to use funding from the Village Fund to help support the activities of AmeriCorps volunteers working in Nashville. AmeriCorps is a network of national service programs. Volunteers give three months to a year of their time.

Hands On Nashville is placing 15 AmeriCorps volunteers with nonprofits focusing on waterway and pollution cleanup, said Kaul.

Hands On Nashville has used funding by the Village Fund to plant trees, clean waterways and make Nashville greener.

Those efforts “really align with his (Deutschmann) efforts to bring more greenways to Nashville and make them places where people want to spend time,” said Kaul.

When Hands On Nashville marked its 25th anniversary in 2015, it estimated that it had help find opportunities for 946,000 volunteers. Since then that number has grown.

“Over 1 million volunteers would be a safe estimate,” said Kaul.

Degerberg said her clients like working with someone who gives back to the community. She always asks if they have a favorite charity that the Village Fund could add to its list.

“I’ve had four closings this month. It feels good to give back to the community where I live,” she said.

Grant recipients

Organizations that received $1,000 grants from the Village Fund during this month’s event marking its milestone of donating $2.2 million over 25 years:

  • Nashville Junior Chamber 
  • Nashville Ballet
  • East Nashville Hope Exchange, Inc.
  • Friend of the Nashville Farmers Market
  • Greenways for Nashville
  • The Heritage Foundation of Williamson County 
  • Dismas House
  • Tennessee Environmental Council
  • Tennessee Parks & Greenways Foundation 
  • Equal Chance for Education
  • Walk Bike Nashville
  • Nashville Civic Design Center
  • Nashville Grizzlies Rugby
  • Rejoice School of Ballet
  • Cumberland River Compact 
  • Caring Resources
  • Tennessee Women’s Theater Project
  • St. Luke’s Community House
  • Adventure Science Center
  • Olde Worlde Theatre Co.
  • Crossroads Campus
  • Neighbor to Neighbor 
  • Richland Creek Watershed Alliance