The month of September is national Muscular Dystrophy Month. For more than 60 years, the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) Telethon has been broadcast into living rooms around the nation during Labor Day weekend to bring heightened awareness and raise funds to Muscular Dystrophy. Many people remember Jerry Lewis talking about “Jerry’s Kids” and have been inspired to man the phones in their own hometowns.
In our modern era, gathering around the television isn’t the family affair it used to be. Because of this, the MDA has turned to mobile and online methods for reaching its audience and raising funds. As a result, this year, for the first time, the live telethon will not broadcast during the holiday weekend. However, Jerry Lewis’ message hasn’t stopped. September sees a myriad of groups throughout the country raising money to fund groundbreaking research done through the MDA for the over 90 different neuromuscular conditions that fall under their umbrella, including “Ice Bucket Challenge” funded ALS.
Locally, two longtime businesses are teaming up to fight Muscular Dystrophy — Boggs Inspection Services and Weichert Realtors, Reynolds Real Estate.
Randy Reynolds, owner of Weichert Realtors, Reynolds Real Estate, made Thurston County his home in 1971. He started out teaching at Tumwater Middle School and later transitioned to Tumwater High School where he taught and coached for nearly 20 years. He served as head track coach and offensive coordinator for football during his two decades in education but knew in 1991 it was time to try something different. He began working as a real estate agent and, in 2004, opened his own agency.
“It was a natural step for me,” he shares. Reynold’s now owns Weichert Realtors, Reynolds Real Estate, a franchise of a large East Coast-based company. Reynolds Real Estate is the first Weichert branch in Washington State and the fastest growing Weichert office in the nation. “We have shown huge growth in the last year — over 250 percent,” he excitedly shares.
Reynold’s attributes his success to his connectedness to the community and using the “Weichert System” for real estate. “It’s a bit of a throwback,” he laughs, “but it works. It’s basically a philosophy that says activities equal reaching goals and results.” This mentality rang true for the former teacher and coach, and his colleagues notice his straightforward approach and success, too. He was named Thurston County Chamber Realtor of the Year for 2014.
Both during his work in education and in real estate, Reynolds has always put an emphasis on people, family and helping his community. The Labor Day Muscular Dystrophy telethon was one annual example of this community service. He’d pitch in on the phones for a day and write a check for donation himself. However, it wasn’t until a member of his family was diagnosed with a form of Muscular Dystrophy that the real impact of those calls and dollars was felt.
“My grandson wasn’t doing well — he had some issues and the doctors really couldn’t figure what was going on,” he shares. Caleb was finally diagnosed, after a year of tests and doctors visits, with a rare strain of Muscular Dystrophy.
“Most forms of neuromuscular diseases either start when kids are little or when they are adults,” Reynold’s says. “Caleb’s started in his teen years.” Now 21, Caleb is finding his way forward, living his life in a new way. While he has limitations, his future is looking brighter each day as he learns strategies to cope with his disease.
Reynolds shares how thankful the entire family was for the support from the MDA throughout the process. “It was impressive to see how much of the cost Muscular Dystrophy picked up,” he explains. “It’s not cheap to undergo so many tests and see so many specialists, and they really helped financially.”
To pay it forward, Reynold’s is stepping up his support of Muscular Dystrophy this year and his friend and colleague Dwayne Boggs is joining him. The two have worked together for many years during real estate transactions and Reynold’s shares, “Dwayne is just a very likable guy.”
The two have an easy going friendship. When asked what sets a Boggs Inspection apart, Reynold’s explains, “I have great confidence in Dwayne’s abilities during an inspection. But more than that, I know if he does make a mistake, because everyone makes mistakes, he will stand up and take care of it, no questions asked. I appreciate having that confidence when I suggest him to clients for their home inspection.”
The Boggs team inspects homes throughout the South Sound region including all of Pierce County. During the month of September, $5 will be donated to the Muscular Dystrophy Association for each inspection completed. And, for each dollar Boggs donates, Randy Reynold’s Real Estate will match it. “At the end of the month, we’ll settle up and send in our checks,” says Reynolds.
Want to help Boggs and Reynolds meet their goal? Schedule your next home inspection with Boggs Inspection Services by visiting Boggs Inspection Services online or by calling 360-480-9602.
To learn more about Weichert Realtors, Reynolds Real Estate, visit Weichert Realtors, Reynolds Real Estate online or give them a call at 360-878-7673.
