Real Estate - Sam Ray

NONPROFIT CONNECT

NonProfit Connect was launched in 2024 and is the first of its kind in Owensboro, Kentucky. Prior to real estate, Sam was a volunteer "Big Sister" for the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization. Soon after, she took over the reigns of running the organization in 2 counties near her hometown. It didn't take long to see the tremendous need and positive impact in her community that, not only BBBS had, but also other nonprofits as well. When Sam and her husband Steve decided to renovate a commercial building and turn it into her real estate office, she had in mind that she wanted the space to be used for serving the community in other ways...and had envisioned including the nonprofit sector as well. Keeping that in mind, a "studio" was added to the floor plan to accommodate Sam's dream to serve. NonProfit Connect was born.

Sam & Steve ordered the necessary equipment & set up the studio for the "National Day of Giving"and invited local non-profits to sign up to come to the studio on Giving Tuesday to be interviewed in the studio about their nonprofit, what they do & what needs they currently have...and it was streamed live to Sam's (and Vega Group's) social media platforms, including YouTube...to share our audience with them to help spread the word and hopefully get more exposure for every nonprofit who participated. We were thrilled to have 12 local nonprofit organizations take part in NonProfit Connect and we're looking forward to this being an even larger event next year!

SPARKY RESCUE

Sam was born with a larger-than-life animal-loving heart. She's not lived a single day of her life without multiple animals & they've all been rescues. She feels strongly that the "rescuing" is actually the animal rescuing the human. So it only makes sense that Sam's real estate team, Vega Group, in Owensboro, KY is a proud supporter and sponsor of local animal rescue, SparKY. (Saving Paws Animal Rescue of Kentucky)

SparKY is a non-profit organization dedicated to lowering euthanasia rates of dogs and cats in area shelters, educating the public about the importance of spaying and neutering, and promoting animal adoption in Kentucky. SparKy aspires to foster lifelong connections between well-deserving dogs and cats and families and place them in successful, nurturing homes. Through support, guidance, education and service, our grassroots organization commits to create a positive, sustainable impact within the community and beyond.

FOR PETS' SAKE

Sam Ray's love for animals (especially dogs) was the motivation behind the formation of an upcoming outreach program called For Pets' Sake. This outreach will be comprised of volunteers who visit Daviess County households (with permission from the humans who live there) on a weekly, biweekly or monthly basis (depending on that dog's need) whose dog spends his/her entire life at the end of a chain 24/7 with little to no human interaction, care, love, shelter & the basics that a dog needs to live a healthy life. FPS volunteers will show the dog love while ensuring the dog has the basics such as water, food, proper-fitting collar, the right kind of tie-out, shelter (with straw in the cold months) & more. The hope is that, during our visits, we can help educate the humans on how to better care for their dog and either #1, they start taking better care of their pet or #2, they decide to surrender their dog after seeing how much we care about him/her. Stay tuned for more info as we get closer to launching this incredible outreach! And if you want to be involved, email Sam at Sam@SamanthaJoRay.com.