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Members of RealtySouth's Belonging Council — Samantha Garrison, Scott Wells Ford, Kamari House + John Vereen at the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama. (Nathan Watson / Bham Now)

John Vereen is the proud father of two children—a neurotypical daughter and a nonverbal autistic son. Parenting has given him a unique window into both the importance of community and obstacles to belonging.

His life experience informs his volunteer work with local groups like The Literacy Council, UAB’s Regional Autism Network and RealtySouth‘s Belonging Council.

Keep reading to learn more about how he and others at his workplace are building community—for themselves and the people they serve—based on kindness, love, integrity, respect and peace.

Building community between co-workers + beyond

John Vereen, RealtySouth, Belonging Council — John Vereen packing boxes at the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama. (Nathan Watson / Bham Now)

Spend a few minutes with John Vereen and you realize he’s a man on a mission. He’s even come up with his own theory called Human Efficiency Optimization.

By this, he means helping individuals and organizations optimize their humanity through shared values and desires—so that people can connect regardless of their beliefs. Coming together around these values and desires, he believes, will make society better for everyone.

RealtySouth Community Food Bank — John Vereen (back row, 3rd from right) volunteering with others from RealtySouth at the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama. (Nathan Watson / Bham Now)

Fortunately, Vereen’s work as a Realtor provides him and his colleagues with daily opportunities to build community. He co-chairs RealtySouth’s Belonging Council, an initiative that aims to weave relationships between coworkers and with underprivileged or disenfranchised areas in the broader community.

For Vereen, it’s all about giving his coworkers opportunities to connect and build understanding.

“There’s an aspect of having people feel like they belong, and an aspect of sowing into the community—showing up and giving people opportunities to be of service, and giving us opportunities to connect, whether at the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama, through Habitat for Humanity, a donation drive or something else.”

Helping at the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama brings people together

RealtySouth at Community Food Bank of Central Alabama — Lynn Tolbert, Broker (L) + Kamari House (R). (Nathan Watson / Bham Now)

One concrete way the Belonging Council is bringing people together is through quarterly visits to the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama.

Kamari House was part of the inaugural give-back event at the food bank. For her, the experience was a valuable way to deepen relationships:

“Taking some time away from the office to do something so important really reinforced that we are a team here at RealtySouth. Working so closely together on a shared goal helped bridge the gap between the corporate and agent side of things.

I’m really looking forward to our next visit, because I’ll get the chance to get to know another batch of agents a little better.”
Kamari House, Digital Marketing Specialist, RealtySouth

RealtySouth is building + serving communities

Volunteers, Community Food Bank of Central Alabama, RealtySouth — Packing boxes at the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama. (Nathan Watson / Bham Now)

To sum it up, Vereen explained that “Part of what a real estate agent does, whether they realize it or not, is build communities by helping people buy and sell homes—showing up for communities is part of how we make our living.”

The Belonging Council is just one of the many ways RealtySouth helps build community.

Remember, our community is stronger together.

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