For nearly four decades, Jerry Moscowitz, CRS, has been making an impact in both real estate and his community. A REALTOR® at RE/MAX Results in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, Moscowitz has been a Certified Residential Specialist for the past eight years, crediting the designation with shaping his career. “Having the designation has been the key to my growth in many ways,” he says. “I have met wonderful people who share the same passion as me—to make a difference with my clients and within the industry. The referral network is the bonus.”
Moscowitz’s path to real estate wasn’t a straight line. He first became an agent in the mid-1980s but admits, “I was the poster child of what not to do.” After stepping away, he returned 13 years later with renewed purpose and joined a team that helped him find his footing. This time, he flourished. Alongside a thriving career, he found another calling—one rooted in community and giving back.
In 1986, during his first years in real estate, Moscowitz had an idea that sparked a tradition still going strong today. He and his friends decided to forgo exchanging small Christmas gifts and instead donate toys to a local organization called Santa Anonymous, which later merged with Toys for Tots. “Little did we know what we started,” he says. What began as a simple gesture among friends has grown into a community-wide event that has collected more than 15,000 toys for children in need.
Each December, Moscowitz and his wife open their home to neighbors, clients and friends for their annual Toys for Tots Party. Over the years, the event has become a staple in their community, even drawing coverage from local media and visits from the fire department and Marines who arrive with a truck to collect the donations. “We are told almost every year that we are their biggest stop,” Moscowitz says. “All the other stops are at stores or businesses. We are the only residential place they pick up from.”
The tradition has created countless memories. One year, a friendly rivalry between Packers and Vikings fans turned into $300 in extra donations. Another year, during the height of the pandemic, the family held the event in their unheated garage in the middle of a Minnesota winter. “We had been getting around 500 toys a year at this point. We were hoping for 200 toys,” Moscowitz says. “Word got out. We had an Amazon wish list for people to order toys. We ended up with our record—1,040 toys.”
For Moscowitz, the event is a family affair. His daughters lend their marketing and organizational skills, and his wife’s caramel corn has become a favorite treat among attendees. But beyond the fun, the heart of the event is about making a difference. “It feels good,” he says. “We tried to make it easy for people and to create something we thought the holidays are about.”
Moscowitz believes real estate professionals have a unique opportunity to connect with and support their communities. “We are part of the community. We need to make a difference and share what we are doing—not to bring attention to us personally, but to the cause,” he says. For him, giving back has strengthened not only his community ties but also the trust of his clients, who often travel long distances to support the toy drive.
His advice for other agents who want to get involved: Start small and start with what matters most to you. “Be guided by your passion to make a difference and not by how you can benefit from it,” he says. “If you stopped being an agent, would you still be involved in this charitable work? If you really care about it, the answer is an easy yes.”
