Each year at the RE/MAX North Central Awards Celebration there are a few awards presented that are not real estate based. They are not determined by commissions earned, or transactions closed, but rather on the personal character of the recipients and their genuine contributions to their communities. The awards I’m referring to are the Community Citizenship award and the Spirit award. Over the next couple of weeks I will highlight our 2014 honorees.
Today, I introduce our 2014 Spirit Award recipient and the story that was shared at the RE/MAX Awards Celebration in Minnesota on February 19:
Given away only a handful of times, we seldom have the opportunity to present the Spirit Award. But when we heard about this amazing story, we had to recognize it.
Jen True is a top producing agent with RE/MAX Dynamic Associates in Mankato. As a team leader she is described as hard-working and driven, but generous. She has a huge heart and always puts others first. One year ago- almost to the day- Jen’s spirit to help others soared.
In the local paper, Jen read about Heather, a single-mother with kidney failure – too busy with dialysis to enjoy the life she had left. Being a single mother herself, and having just lost her brother, Jen’s heart sank. She felt no child should lose a parent like her three young nephews did.
So, in Jen’s true nature, she reached out to Heather. They first met over coffee and Jen very quickly realized a connection to Heather; Jen decided to donate a kidney. It wasn’t simple – or quick. Jen spent the better part of 2013 going through mental assessments and physical evaluations. But on November 26, just four short months ago, Jen’s spirit of giving came to fruition with a successful kidney transfer. And according to her doctor, one of the healthiest kidney’s he’d ever seen!
Despite the textbook operation, Jen spent six weeks recovering – though she didn’t let it get her down and in fact walked away the better for it. Jen says her experience helped her learn to “live today, live right now.” And with the help of her family and team she is today as healthy and happy as ever – and she has a new lifelong friend so share it with.
Please congratulate Jen True for being – one of the few – Spirit Award recipients!
