azcentral.com | Catherine Reagor | December 12, 2014

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Popular Valley real estate agents and best-selling authors JoAnn and Joseph Callaway can be found ringing bells next to red Salvation Army kettles on Wednesdays in December.

The Callaways, known as “Those Callaways,” so far have helped recruit 1,500 other real estate industry volunteers to help raise money for the non profit by manning kettles across metro Phoenix.

In mid-2013, Salvation Army national advisory board member Marlene Klotz-Collins welcomed the couple to the organization’s Phoenix board and told them about the problem finding volunteer bell ringers on Wednesdays during the holidays. The nonprofit had to hire ringers and was losing money.

The Callaways, longtime supporters of Salvation Army, pledged to enlist as many friends and colleagues as possible, and Real Estate Wednesdays was launched.

Last year, the couple drew more than 1,000 volunteers from the real estate industry to ring bells at 180 Valley locations. This year, the Callaways have led the charge in getting 1,500 volunteers, and there’s still time to sign up.

“It’s about we, who sell the American Dream, serving those living the American Nightmare,” said Joseph Callaway about Real Estate Wednesdays.

Klotz-Collins said last year, more than $117,000 was raised and $85,000 saved in expenses for the Salvation Army through Real Estate Wednesdays. For more information, go to RealEstateWednesdays.com.

Last spring, The Callaway’s second book “Super Agent,” was published. It followed their 2012 New York Times best-seller “Clients First: The Two Word Miracle.”

See this article on AZCentral.com