Laura Saunders is thankful to Keller Williams Realty for Modesto.
Last week, the executive director of Ray of Hope saw the first phase of the local non-profit’s Children’s Services and Crisis Center finally completed.
“The room was dark and dingy and we were unable to use it,” said Saunders, who credited Laura Azuela and Minerva Ruiz of Keller Williams’ Culture Committee.
They formulated the plan back in March for the 2018 RED Day – acronym for Renew Energize and Donate – for the rec room / waiting area needed to accommodate children ages 0 through 11.
The Ray of Hope facility is located on the second floor of the downtown Manteca Bedquarters building in the 100 block of West Yosemite at Main Street.
“We were able to redesign a recreation room with help of Cassandra Vasquez,” said Azuela of her daughter Cassandra, a Manteca High senior who was recently accepted to USC with plans to study architecture.
She added: “We were able to use her design as our blueprint for the project – after meeting with the Culture Committee, we calculated it would take about $10,000 to make this room come alive.”
A collaborative effort ensued, consisting of Keller Williams agents and affiliates – they helped raise money for the project, according to Azuela – and the support from MHS students and Golden West College volunteer including Bessy Diaz, a single mom who is studying animation.
Saunders, for one, was amazed.
“It was incredible to see people reaching out to put in hours and hours to (help) children that they don’t know but very much care for,” she said, echoing the thoughts of board member Robert Brotherton.
The Keller Williams crew, as a result, provided the new floors, paintings on the wall, hand-painted art work, computers, desks, and toys.
“I’ll never be able to thank these people for taking and making the Ray of Hope facility come to life,” Saunders said.
Azuela credited team leader Dan Dent – “the glue that kept this all together,” she said – and the agents at KW Modesto along with the partners and volunteers involved.

To contact reporter Vince Rembulat, e-mail vrembulat@mantecabulletin.com