Supporting the UK’s National Health Service
LaSalle was able to provide nearly £3 million of in-kind support to essential workers.
March 2022
Europe
LaSalle is renewing their pledge to PREA Foundation, to help develop more diverse talent and provide them accessibility to the real estate industry globally.
LaSalle has pledged a donation of US $50,000 each year, over the next five years to PREA Foundation, which gives LaSalle the status of a Benefactor Donor. This is the second time LaSalle has pledged, the first being from 2017 to 2022. LaSalle and PREA Foundation have had a long-standing relationship, with many LaSalle employees participating in PREA Foundation events, panels and discussions over the last few years.
The Foundation’s mission is to further the interests and values of the institutional real estate investment community by advancing industry-wide diversity and inclusion. The Foundation, in partnership with donors, is working on developing the largest and most comprehensive talent pipeline for the industry.
Partnerships with donor organizations help PREA Foundation achieve their mission. PREA Foundation funds the creation of career development programs to help underserved youth access life-changing careers in the vast real estate industry. These career development programs include job training and workforce development. Some of the non-profits the Foundation works with include Toigo and Girls Who Invest. Donor organizations can access resources through PREA Foundation which makes it easier for them to recruit diverse talent from these programs.
Donations also fund the creation of career development programs to help underserved youth access careers and opportunities in real estate. These career development programs include job training, workforce development, and skill development.
Additionally, donations fund a variety of educational resources including webinars and seminars open to all in the industry. These educational programs help address long standing DEI challenges in real estate, through providing best practice workshops.
LaSalle’s donation allows them to join respected industry leaders whose contributions create opportunities for the next generation.
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Andrew Jeanes, who worked for LaSalle for almost 38 years, sadly passed away in October 2021.
For those people within the industry who came across Andy, none would have forgotten their experience in a hurry. He didn’t suffer fools lightly, and could often be perceived as donning a bear mask. It truly was just a mask, behind which was a man with a huge heart. He held in high esteem individuals at the cutting edge of their expertise within the property industry and those who provided sound advice to Andy and his clients.
LaSalle is hosting a walk through London on Thursday, July 13 from 2:00 p.m. and would welcome any of Andy’s friends or ex-colleagues to join us. In his memory, we aim to raise money for the Oxford Hospitals Charity, specifically the Oncology Ward Fund, as chosen by his children.
Given Andy liked to discuss thorny property issues over a glass of red wine, it’s only fitting that the walk should include a couple of his old haunts. We start from Davy’s at Plantation Place in The City and finish at Davy’s at St James, Crown Passage, Pall Mall. Frankly that’s the only type of walk Andy would have signed up to!
If you would like to take part in the walk, please register below. A suggested minimum donation of £20 upon registration can be made via our JustGiving page.
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The Galleries shopping centre is owned by a LaSalle separate account client, and LaSalle’s Asset Management team is actively involved in running the facility. It sits in the heart of Bristol, a short walk from one of the city’s major hospitals – the Bristol Royal Infirmary (BRI).
At the very start of the Covid-19 pandemic, one of the centre’s lettings agents mentioned that his wife worked for the UK’s National Health Service (NHS), and the team discussed what intense pressure NHS staff were under. Following that conversation, LaSalle’s Asset Management team, in consultation with our client, made the quick decision to offer free parking to NHS staff to help support them during exceptionally difficult times. The free parking offer started in April 2020 and ran until the end of November 2021.
During the peak of the pandemic, an average of 300 NHS staff per day took up the free parking offer, which normally would have cost £18 per car per day (or £5,400 per day). Over the 19 months the free parking was offered, nearly £3 million in free parking was claimed by NHS staff.
To continue the centre’s support for the BRI and the NHS, The Galleries has been able to offer discounted parking to 200 NHS staff from the BRI for the foreseeable future (£6 per day rather than £18 per day).
The Galleries is also working in partnership with the NHS to create new and different spaces within the city centre. The NHS has taken two leases for vacant units at The Galleries: one is being used for additional storage space and another is currently being fitted for a remote eye hospital to assist with reducing the Covid-19 related backlog of appointments.
LaSalle is proud to have been able to offer its support not only to NHS staff in Bristol, but to healthcare workers around the world in a variety of ways. While our assets are financial investments for a wide range of stakeholders, we also understand the vital role that they play in supporting communities, and we take great satisfaction in knowing that they have done so.
The local NHS/BRI team were extremely happy and pleasantly surprised by the offer of free parking from The Galleries during the pandemic and made working throughout the busy period of the lockdowns and pandemic slightly easier; then offering discounted parking for up to 200 BRI staff from December 2021 has been very well received.
– Dave Wilson, University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust
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LaSalle’s European teams came together in October for a team cycle from Strasbourg to Munich ahead of Expo Real to raise money for those affected by cystic fibrosis (CF).
The annual bike ride they participated in is an annual effort supported by people in the property industry and raises money for Vaincre la Mucoviscidose, a charity that helps support those living with CF and improves the lives of patients and their families. LaSalle was one of the main sponsors of the event, and 2021 marks the third year of our participation.
From October 8th to 10th, 20 cyclists rode 430 kilometers, through the Black Forest from Strasbourg to Munich, arriving at the international investment property fair, Expo Real. Four LaSalle employees from Paris and two from Munich were among the cyclists. Many others donated to the cause via their official funding page, with an impressive €8,515 being raised in total.
Plans for the funds raised for Vaincre la Mucoviscidose include:
- Supporting the relocation of families from remote parts of France to parts of the country where CF support is more readily available.
- Helping young adults with CF to make life plans and achieve independence by moving into their own homes and getting them the support they need to live independently.
Although we endured chilly weather in the morning hours, the team enjoyed a beautiful landscape, riding through the Black Forest, Swabian Alps and Bavaria. This truly compensated for the efforts required over the three days, especially through climbing almost 4,000 meters. It’s always amazing how quickly people connect and bond over the physical efforts of a bike ride.
– Uwe Rempis, Head of KVG Fund Management and one of the cyclists
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LaSalle is proud to be a supporter of Blue for Japan (BFJ), a non-profit organization that supports orphaned children and is dedicated to providing them with housing, resources and educational opportunities. In Japan, there are about 30,000 children living in orphanages and about 5,000 children living in foster care. Typically, when children living at these facilities reach age 18-20, they are required to leave the orphanages and become independent. While resources like housing and job opportunities are provided, the transition can be difficult for many of these young people, and they often feel isolated, unprepared and stressed. This can cause them to leave jobs, stop paying rent, or deal with other financial and personal struggles.
In order to help combat this, organizations like BFJ provide as many resources as possible to help children succeed and prepare for their life outside of the facilities in which they grow up. BFJ’s specific focus has expanded into assisting orphanages across Japan. However, BFJ’s reach is limited. Due to a huge increase in remote learning requirements because of the pandemic, the children being served by BFJ have been materially affected as they do not have access to computers or devices for online education. LaSalle’s donations over the years, including a gift of ¥1 million (approximately US$10,000) in December 2020, have allowed the organization to purchase 20 refurbished PCs for the children, which will give them access to vast educational and learning opportunities.
These children are already at a disadvantage given their circumstances, so it brings me happiness that we can provide them some support to make their life better. It’s wonderful to be able to help these children become independent adults, through providing resources to help them access good educational and job opportunities.
– Ichiro Hikosaka, Managing Director, Leasing Management, and a dedicated volunteer with BFJ
LaSalle has worked with BFJ since 2018, when Keith Fujii, LaSalle’s Asia Pacific CEO and then-CEO of Japan, wanted to find a way to become more involved in community efforts. Hikosaka-san was able to make a connection with LaSalle and BFJ, and the organization was selected as one of the charities in which to support. Subsequently each year, LaSalle Japan has selected BFJ as their annual charity to support during the holiday season. LaSalle has donated $33,500 to the organization since 2018, and still plans this year to help the organization in whatever ways possible.
“I am a passionate volunteer for this organization, and it is great to see LaSalle has offered support each year to make a big impact,” said Hikosaka-san. “Team members and I have attended events organized by Blue for Japan over the years as well, and LaSalle continues to provide direct contributions to make a difference.”
For Hikosaka-san, this work underscores the important role we all play in our collective society to take care of those in need.
“As human beings, we need to help each other,” he said. “It makes me happy to work for a company like LaSalle where I can give and share what I have. Especially to children who need it most.”
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For the last five years, LaSalle’s Baltimore team has worked hard to bring joy to families in need during the holiday season. Through a partnership with Baltimore City Social Services, the team’s Adopt-A-Family initiative supports a family every year to ensure they have presents to open during the holidays.
Kim Swann, Senior Administrative Assistant, suggested the initiative to her team five years ago, and has been leading on it ever since.
I’ve always been a giving person. My family has been supporting two families every Thanksgiving and Christmas for over two decades. My church also sponsors families. So, it was no-brainer to share an opportunity to give back with the LaSalle team.
– Kim Swann, Senior Administrative Assistant
Every year, Kim works with Baltimore City Social Services to find a family in need. She then meets with the families and creates a wish list based on what gift ideas the children share. Kim then sends a presentation to LaSalle’s Baltimore team with information on the family members, their wish lists and how to donate or buy gifts. Typically, the team gets together to wrap the gifts, but this year they are contributing virtually. Kim then delivers the gifts to the family directly along with some colleagues.
“In previous years, it’s been special getting to watch colleagues put together bikes, blow up basket balls, or wrap gifts together,” Kim shared. “This year, we are still accepting gifts and donations, and even though we are planning to deliver the gifts in a way where we are practicing social distancing and wearing masks, it will still be really nice to complete a family’s holiday wish.”
In 2019, the exchange was especially memorable for Kim and her colleagues. When one of the children shared his ambitions to be a fireman when he was older, Kim contacted a friend who was also a fireman to help deliver the gifts. The response she received was more than she ever expected.
“On the day we agreed to deliver the gifts, I was at the family’s home and suddenly heard sirens down the street. When we went outside, we saw that my friend had brought an actual fire truck and eight other firemen joined him. Neighbors came out to participate and the kids got to meet the firemen and sit in the truck,” Kim shared. “It was amazing. Most times I don’t cry, but last year got me.”
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