Realtor Steve Gallagher of the Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage San Francisco Pacific Heights office is giving back to our community in a big way. He recently pledged to donate $30,000 of his 2020 real estate commissions to the 300-member San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus (SFGMC), with funds stemming from a percentage of each home sale.
Gallagher, a San Francisco native, is a top-producing agent in the city. He has been selling real estate in San Francisco since 1995, and was profiled in the San Francisco Bay Times last year ( https://bit.ly/2GppbI5 ). He works with buyers and sellers throughout San Francisco, with an emphasis on residential real estate. His focus is on client care; assuring that the client is always put first and is successful in their real estate endeavors. In this case, he is extending such care to the SFGMC.
The donations from Gallagher, who was president of the Chorus from 2011 to 2015, will help the SFGMC make improvements to, and pay off the debt on, the National LGBTQ Center for the Arts building at 170 Valencia Street. The SFGMC purchased the four-floor historic Art Deco property, located near the Castro, last year.
“For over 40 years, SFGMC, has been rehearsing in spaces all over the City, many of which were less than ideal for so many reasons,” Gallagher says. “By purchasing this building, the group finally has a home that not only fills the needs for rehearsing the 300-member group, but also allows SFGMC to house their administrative offices. The building affords them the luxury of offering the space to other LGBTQ arts organizations and helps focus their mission of creating extraordinary music and experiences that build community, inspire activism, and foster compassion at home and around the world. The group does such great work, I just had to help.”
In addition to serving as a former president of the Chorus, Gallagher has sung with SFGMC since 1993.
Thanks to the generosity of Gallagher and others, SFGMC’s capital campaign for the building is also humming along, but the estimated costs are formidable. To date, the SFGMC has raised more than $9 million towards the campaign’s goal of $15 million over three years. The money raised includes leadership gifts of $5 million from founding Chorus member Terrence Chan, $1 million from the Chorus Board of Directors, and $1 million from Zendesk Founder and CEO Mikkel Svane, along with $250,000 from the city of San Francisco and $500,000 from the state of California.
The building houses rehearsal and office space, conference rooms, and community engagement spaces. Given that SFGMC is deeply rooted in community, it is a space that can bring the Chorus and community together for events such as master classes, lectures, symposia, and sing-ins for the community to join the Chorus.
In addition to its season lineup, SFGMC will also host a series of special events at the National LGBTQ Center for the Arts. The goal of its programming is to bring audience members closer to Chorus members and renowned artists and innovative arts organizations.
To view the National LGBTQ Center for the Arts calendar of events, visit https://www.sfgmc.org/arts-center-events
For more information about Gallagher: https://bit.ly/2vs4kSa
Published on January 30, 2020
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