Local Agent to Fund the Arts From Her Commissions
Art-loving agent Leanne Hirsch seeks to grow the city's arts community $1,000 at a time.
Leanne Hirsch | Photo courtesy Keller Williams Realty
Want to support the arts in Philadelphia?
Just say the word to agent Leanne Hirsch and it’s done.
Hirsch, a longtime city resident and licensed real estate agent, is giving back to her community by offering to donate $1,000 from each of her sales commissions to local nonprofits with an artistic mission around Philadelphia.
Hirsch announced her client-inspired campaign on June 15th. Hirsch said that between now and Dec. 31st, she hopes to sponsor many “Philadelphia-based nonprofits who really need these funds to fulfill their missions.”
Prior to co-founding her own real estate team, River to River Real Estate, at Keller Williams Center City, Hirsch had worked with some of this region’s best-known agents and developers, including Laurie Phillips, Mary Genovese, Allan Domb and Eric Blumenfeld.
As a fierce supporter of the arts, specifically dance, Hirsch has been planning this personal initiative since sometime around January of this year. It all began when a client’s husband passed away in 2017. The client was donating a park bench in her late husband’s name when Hirsch, realizing she wanted to do something more meaningful, helped with the payment. After that, her sponsorship idea was born.
Hirsch is starting out by supporting the Koresh Dance Company. Founded in 1991, the company stuns its audiences with a unique blend of ballet, modern dance, jazz dance and raw passion. With a repertoire of more than 40 works, founder, choreographer and Artistic Director Ronen “Roni” Koresh gained quick notoriety and performs on national and international levels.
Aside from dance, Koresh Dance Company is dedicated to community building and outreach. When on tour, the company brings together dancers and non-dancers with activities like post-performance discussions and master classes. Back in Philadelphia, the company is dedicated to bringing an arts-based education to kids in Philadelphia public schools. Koresh Kids Dance Program provides free dance classes for fourth and fifth graders. With these donations Hirsch hopes that Koresh Dance Company can continue to grow.
Koresh is currently the sole beneficiary of this program, but Hirsch is happy to hear from her clients about non-profits they would like sponsored. “If a client has something local that they would be interested in, I’m happy to do something in their name,” said Hirsch.
In order to have Hirsch make a $1000 donation, clients must talk to her about a non-profit or art-focused cause and close on a property. “If [clients] come to me after this press release, or I send out mailings that I would do this, then that’s how it would come to be. But if they mention another nonprofit I would be happy to do that too. It’s a one-time gift that I would give if they close on a property,” said Hirsch.
Hirsch has dedicated this next section of her business plan to giving back to the community and doing something a tad outside of the box. Regardless of the “out” or “in” thinking, Hirsch is excited to give back. “I wanted to do a little bit something more that had meaning,” said Hirsch.
