Letter from Co-Founder
Kathi Jobson
Co-Founder
(left to right) Michael Ashker, Kathi Jobson, and Alan Anderson
Co-Founders
REALTORS® Who Shrine
It has been my lifelong mission to find a more meaningful part of real estate that supports the community and thrives long after we are all gone.
I have served on the UC Davis Children’s Hospital Board for over 10 years and have witnessed the excruciating struggles children and families face when battling severe illness. I have also witnessed the amazing dedication to healing children. The feeling of wanting to help children access the best care, coupled with helping those care providers have the resources they need has never left me.
My journey as a board member has afforded me the incredible work experience with Alan Anderson, who is now at Shriners Hospitals for Children — Northern California. He continues to carry on the tradition of finding ways to help the hospital thrive and innovate through building a network of philanthropic and civic-minded people and businesses who graciously give to Shriners Hospitals for Children.
My husband, Michael Ashker (who is a partner in a firm building and seeding businesses), and I would spend numerous evenings with Alan and his wife discussing ways we can find synergy in our respective professions to help the hospital.
And after a “Eureka” moment one evening, we found it. We would create a program that enables realtors to contribute a portion of their sales commissions to the hospital; and if there is a buyer or seller who does not have an agent in mind, we would gladly find one who would do this.
Thus, REALTORS® Who Shrine (RWS) was started.
REALTORS® Who Shrine empowers people to easily gift a portion of a real estate commission to support Shriners Hospitals for Children. You don’t have to have the capacity to give; you just need to have the capacity in your hearts to consider this process when you buy or sell your property. Anyone with a desire to give can participate. And best yet, it’s simple and integrates seamlessly into all existing real estate processes.
To date, our little tribe has contributed over $80,000 to Shriners Hospitals for Children — Northern California and we continue to receive calls from interested people who want to participate. We are thrilled this sustainable source of giving has taken off with many interests.
Perhaps the most amazing and beautiful thing about Shriners Hospital for Children is it doesn’t matter if a family cannot afford to pay for their medical care; nor do they need to have an insurance policy, since some of the more advanced treatments are not fully covered by standard policies. Shriners Hospitals for Children always does what is best for the child, regardless of a family’s ability to pay.
Michael and I have three grown children and five healthy grandchildren. It is unfathomable what parents must endure when looking for specialized pediatric care for their little ones. And we hope they will never have to. But if they somehow need to, we thank God for Shriners Hospitals for Children and the amazing care team for devoting their life’s work to the medical needs of children.
I hope our story inspires you to live a life of purpose and I invite you to join us in our mission to provide access to specialty pediatric care for children who need it most in our community.
Kathi Jobson
Founder
REALTORS® Who Shrine
Our Leadership Team
KATHI JOBSON
Founder, REALTORS® Who Shrine
REALTOR®, Nick Sadek-Sotheby’s International Realty
LIC#01247089
Kathi Jobson brings 20 years of real estate experience to Realtors® Who Shrine. She holds a Lifetime Top Achiever designation through the El Dorado County Association of Realtors. Kathi serves the Great Sacramento and Quad-County areas where she brings her personal brand to the real estate experience which is a blend of the highest quality professional representation coupled with personal attention. Kathi has successfully represented hundreds of home buyers and sellers as well as worked with developers of Greenstone Country, Montecito, and Kalithea. Most importantly Kathi brings her personal passion and attention to detail to her real estate business.
Kathi recently joined Nick Sadek-Sotheby’s International Realty because she believes in the importance of branding and marketing. Kathi and her team are active users of social media platforms as well as traditional marketing strategies. Check out www.KathiJobson.com
MICHAEL ASHKER
Co-Founder
REALTORS® Who Shrine
Michael Ashker began his career in the investment industry serving in various roles with securities firms such as Shearson Lehman Brothers, Kemper Securities and finally Kidder Peabody. In 1994, Ashker founded Lynx Capital Group, one of the earliest hedge funds on the West Coast, focusing on technology investing. While at Lynx, Ashker got involved at an operating level with several of Lynx’s portfolio companies and eventually made a decision to transition to management.
His initial role was as founder and CEO, leading a reorganization of an old-line insurance company, Provident American. Provident was a publicly traded health insurance company which was remade into a new digital insurance company renamed Healthaxis. Under Ashker’s leadership, the combined companies of Provident and Healthaxis grew from a $30M to over a $2B market capitalization. Ashker went on to develop many successful business ventures in the legal, healthcare and financial industries.
Ashker provides hand-on consulting services, business development and financing for early stage and transitional small-cap companies. Recently, he has become the managing partner of a wealth management firm, called SkyOak Wealth. SkyOak has offices in Detroit, Michigan, Las Vegas and Southern Oregon.
ALAN ANDERSON
Co-Founder
REALTORS® Who Shrine
Alan Anderson has been fundraising for causes he believes in as long as he can remember. Beginning as a 2nd grader selling grape slushee drinks to benefit his school’s athletic program, Alan has always been passionate about mobilizing community support for organizations that are making a difference in the lives of people they serve. Alan has been fundraising professionally for 30 years, following a decision to change careers from finance, which was inspired by the birth of his daughter and his family’s move to Davis, California.
In 2007, Alan became the Director of Development for Shriners Hospitals for Children — Northern California where he manages every aspect of the regional development program for a singular purpose: to help children overcome injury and disability by managing the financial support operations necessary for the many programs at Shriners Hospitals for Children — Northern California that are transforming children’s lives. Alan is inspired every day by the compassionate generosity of donors, among whom are people like Kathi Jobson and Michael Ashker. Thanks to their vision – and the support of home buyers, sellers, and participating realtors – Realtors® Who Shrine will play a vital role in helping the hospital’s determined patients and dedicated caregivers achieve their goals. Alan is honored to work with Realtors® Who Shrine.
