When George Long is not selling office buildings for Ross Property Advisors in Phoenix, or catching up on his world travels, he spends his time serving the community through local nonprofits and various charitable efforts.
For more than 10 years now, Long has worked with Kids at Hope, a national organization that helps transform schools and other organizations that serve youth, where he’s also currently a board member.
Long and Kids at Hope share a similar vision – creating an environment of encouragement and optimism for children through a course of action that helps them succeed in all aspects of life including recreational, professional, home and family life.
“None of us transition in life without the help of other people,” Long says. He believes that everyone reaches a certain point in their lives through the guidance and influence of those around them.
Through Kids at Hope, Long is able to connect children with mentors who can relate to them on a personal level. Long believes that every child deserves someone to help guide them through life, whether that person is a teacher, police officer or bus driver.
Long’s desire to help the next generation stems from growing up with the Boys & Girls Club, after moving to the United States from Tokyo, Japan. He continued his relationship with the Boys & Girls Club organization in Phoenix for 25 years, serving as a volunteer and board member.
He believes that working with children and teaching them about certain aspects of life, such as education and the economy, allows them to deal with challenges and give back to the world, and become better citizens.
“Kids are kids. You look at them, they look like you and I, and you could never tell that they are being raised by their grandmother, or their aunt or a single parent,” Long explains. “I think a lot of our social issues are going to be cured by changing the attitude of the next generation.”
Long strives to change their perspective of the world and believes that Kids at Hope has done that for at least half a million children over the last 15 years.
Aside from traveling and helping children, Long also enjoys scuba diving and hiking: two hobbies that he has had the chance to partake in during his travels. So far, he has visited Germany, New Zealand, France, Canada and lots of places stateside, which are connected to his personal cultural interests.
As far as his charitable work goes, being able to see the positive impact that Kids at Hope has made on children up close is what makes it all worthwhile for him.
Hearing the stories of children involved with Kids at Hope, and being able to see where those children started from and where they end up, Long says, is the best part.
