Keystone In The Community #156

 In this special takeover episode, Jeremy and Jen step in to host the podcast and shine a spotlight on Keystone’s commitment to giving back. They highlight several community-minded organizations in Northern Colorado that are making a real difference for both businesses and individuals. If you’re inspired to get involved, you’ll find the contact information for these organizations in the episode transcript. 

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Podcast Editor: Tim Leaman/info.primegen@gmail.com

Transcript

Wiser Financial Advisor – Keystone in Community

Hi Everyone, and welcome to the Wiser Financial Advisor with Keystone Financial Services where we get real, we get honest and we get clear about the financial world and your money. Let the financial fun begin! 

Jeremy: Welcome to this podcast takeover once again. I am Certified Financial Planner Jeremy Bush. With me today is Jen Walenter. Today's conversation is about Keystone in the community, and what we do with various charities and things throughout the year.

Jen: Yeah, correct.

Jeremy: These are close to our hearts, and some of them have come to us over the years through clients. Keystone has always been actively involved in the community as a way to give back. So what is the first one on our list to talk about today?

Jen: Philo, which is a local organization here in Northern Colorado based out of Loveland. It’s a charity we have supported for several years. They do a golf tournament for women every year on beautiful Marianna Butte. It's a great time to come and support this charity and have a lot of fun. Philo is a women-led organization that also provides scholarships for two-year trade schools. It's a great organization, and this past year we had the good fortune of going to their gala where they were able to raise money to continue their charity. We love supporting them year after year.

Jeremy: Yeah, we go out there and you ladies take a tent and set up on a hole out on Mariana Butte.

Jen: We take some swag.

Jeremy: The way we support these charity events means we get to have a lot of fun doing it, right?

Jen: We do. We have a great time.

Jeremy: It’s fun getting out there and meeting new people and supporting good causes. 

Jen: Absolutely.

Jeremy: Another one that my wife and I are involved with is Alternatives to Violence. They do a big fundraiser every year. We call it Pastels on 5th. If anybody in the Loveland or Fort Collins area has ever checked out Pastels on 5th, you're familiar with this. If you haven't, it's a great time. The focus for Alternatives to Violence is on providing shelter, advocacy, education, and other resources for people who are impacted by domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking. My wife is involved because she has been Keystone's artist, Pastel's artist, for the past many years. I can't remember how long she's been doing it, but it's a fun event and they shut down 5th Street in downtown Loveland. Participants get a square of the sidewalk and do some art. It’s really cool to see. All those funds go to a good cause. That happens on a Saturday, usually in September. It’s a fun time and a good way to support Loveland in general.

Jen: A great cause. And if you're following Keystone on Facebook, they post those pictures. Check it out. You can see how many people love supporting this cause in a most colorful way. 

Jeremy: A most colorful way, absolutely. And then our next one on here is close to your heart, right, Jen? Realities for Children.

Jen: It is. Ever since I started with Keystone, we’ve sponsored Realities for Children, which is a local charity organization primarily in Northern Colorado, that provides emergency and ongoing support for children who have been abused, neglected, or at risk. Every month we have a luncheon with fellow business owners who support this organization, and we get to see the impact of our financial support. They talk about personal stories of the children they've helped and those who have used these services for years and are now successful adults. So it's a near and dear charity to my heart. They usually have a tree lighting in December and a bike rally that's massive at Harley-Davidson, which is near our office. Realities for Children is a fantastic community support.

Jeremy: Yeah, a great organization and like you were saying, they hold monthly luncheons, right? And dinners occasionally. 

And then of course we have Habitat for Humanity. I think a lot of our women clients help out with this one too. Every year, Keystone has a women's build for Habitat for Humanity, which is about creating homes for families in our community that happen to be in need. We get the ladies from Keystone to go out along with some Keystone clients and spend a day doing whatever we can to help, whether it's framing a house or painting, landscaping, right? 

Jen: It's fantastic. We enjoy doing this every year, getting out in the community. Last year we helped build some of the foundation of a house. And this year, we were working right beside the house we’d worked on last year and we got to see it fully built and the gal who now has it living in it. It was wonderful to see where it started, where it ended up, and how happy she is settled into her home. 

Jeremy: Yeah, that's got to be a fulfilling thing for sure. And then of course, we couldn't say anything about Keystone without talking about Broadcom. Over the years, Broadcom has had a big relationship with United Way. They host a charity golf event every year and United Way participates in that. Those funds go to various things. That one's bigger than the local community but we've had a lot of fun doing that one.

Jen: Absolutely. And you and Josh usually get together with a couple clients on a golf team supporting that cause every year.

Jeremy: The best part of that is it doesn't matter if my golf game is trash because I am not a good golfer. We still go out and support the cause and have a lot of fun with that.

Jen: You go out with a full heart in that way. 

Jeremy: Yeah. And then there's Resurrection Christian School. They have a gala every year raising funds for educational opportunities for kids. That one is near and dear to Josh and Sarah. Their kids go to RCS, but they have participated in that one pretty much every year since it's been going on.

And then of course, the City of Fort Collins does a bike-to-work event in both the summer and winter. Summer one is more fun. Winter gets cold, but still you get those cyclists out there. Bikes to work is about promoting health and wellness in the community. We go out, we bring coffee and cocoa and it's fun to see people riding their bikes around, coming into work or leaving work. And especially in the summertime, people put their kids on bikes and ride as a family, everyone out enjoying the day.

Jen: It's great to see the smiles on everyone's faces as they ride up and grab some swag. 

Jeremy: That is a lot of fun. And another one we do every year, which we've done since Keystone opened, is the Toys for Tots campaign.

Jen: Yeah, Toys for Tots is sponsored by the U.S. Marines. They accept toy donations from a lot of companies, businesses. They gather all the toys that have been donated and take them to a location to hand them out to economically disadvantaged children. We found out last year that this isn't just at Christmas time. They gather these toys year-round and hand them out year-round. It’s nice to see that the impact to the community is not only around a specific holiday. It’s helping children in need if they're having a rough time in March or in July too. This one is near and dear to all of our hearts. If you've never been to our office near Christmas time, our whole front lobby is packed with the generous donations from our clients who want to give. This past year, we put a picture of Josh and all the toys in the Keystonian. We are so grateful for all of our generous clients who have brought in toys from small to large. The gentleman who came to pick them up this year was surprised because we had to do trip after trip out to his car to take all the donations. He was impressed by our clients. So thank you all for making a difference to these children.

Jeremy: It is huge. And I think in the eight years I've been with Keystone, (even including the COVID year when we had to do it outside), on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving we have our pie event which is to kick off our Toys for Tots campaign. Every year we have set a new record for the number of toys our clients bring in. It’s amazing every time I see it. And people love doing it, which goes to show you the quality of clients that Keystone has, right?

Jen: Absolutely.

Jeremy: Another one is the Loveland Veterans Honor Monument. This one is specific to Loveland. It was brought to our attention by a client, and it’s evolved over the years. It started out that they wanted to build a monument to the veterans of Loveland High School from way in the past, those who have served. It has grown into all of Loveland, not just Loveland High School alumni. There’s a team of people on this board for years now working to do this. They’re pretty close to breaking ground last I checked, if they haven't already. They've done dinners to fundraise with country singers. They do golf events. I’m excited to see what this memorial monument looks like when they get it done out at Loveland Sports Park right off Highway 34 next to Mountain View High School. They’ve been a great organization to work with over the years.

Jen: That's fantastic. And the next one I see on the list is near and dear to your heart: Tran’s Taekwondo. Tell us about that one.

Jeremy: I don't know if that one qualifies as a charity, but I do volunteer a lot of time there. Tran’s is one of a number of martial arts studios in Colorado. It's a family of siblings who came up together. They were refugees from Vietnam and came over with their dad who raised these five siblings as a single dad. They grew up here, got into martial arts, and opened all their studios. Just a really great family. I've been doing this now for a little bit longer than I've been with Keystone. Pretty soon after I started, I was asked if I wanted to be an instructor as well. I don't get paid for it or anything like that, but it’s the absolute best, working with all kinds of kids, all different ages and backgrounds, giving them something to work towards, some way of getting that energy out and focusing. I love watching them grow. They come in on day one and maybe they're a little wild or not really focused on anything, just lots of energy. And after a while they're dialed in and going with it. Not everybody stays all the way to black belt, but Master Tran has been doing it for over 30 years, I believe, so thousands and thousands of kids have come through there and gained some knowledge and some focus and discipline. I like spending time there and I'm there every week for a few hours a night on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It’s a great time giving back to the community.

Jen: Oh, that's so fun. Well, we’ve gone through several charities on this list. So, if you're listening to this and you feel that there's a charity we should be involved in whether big or small, please reach out. We would love to hear why it's near and dear to you and why you think it has great community impact. Check out our website at www.keystonefinancial.com  . Send one of us an e-mail about it.  And if you want to get involved in any of these charities that you’ve heard about here, also reach out to us and we'll connect you with the people who will help you get involved. They're all working for the greater good and we just love to support them in any way that we can.

Jeremy: I second that. And many of them were brought to our attention by clients. This speaks to the culture of Keystone in general because we love and take to heart the serving of the community and giving back. We've had a lot of success over the years and we continue to do so. This is just one of many ways we like to give back whenever we can. We are always open to listening and seeing what we can do.

Jen: Absolutely. 

Jeremy: Well, good rundown of this today. I'm sure this list will continue to grow as we go, and we look forward to it. So thanks, Jen.

Jen: Well, thank you, Jeremy.

Josh: We love feedback and we'd love it if you would pass it on to me directly at josh@keystonefinancial.com. Also, please stay plugged in with us, get updates on episodes, and help us promote the podcast by rating us five stars and also subscribing to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast service.

The opinions voiced on the Wiser Financial Advisor show are for general information only, and not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual. To determine what may be appropriate for you, consult with your own accountant, financial or tax advisor prior to investing. Investment advisory services offered through Keystone Financial Services, an SEC registered investment advisor.