Plenty of people sell millions worth of luxury real estate in Orange County, but no one quite matches the personal story of the Oppenheim Groupโs real estate agent Alexandra Rose.
She was adopted at age 5 from the Orangewood Childrenโs Home in Orange. More recently, she was a reality TV star for three seasons and says sheโs sold about $150 million of real estate.
Now at age 29, she is also giving back to the foundation that grew out of the original Orangewood home with a donation of $250,000.
โI have a story there,โ she says with some understatement.
She says her biological parents were โboth homeless drug addicts.โ
โThe state took me, and they gave me to Orangewood,โ she told the Business Journal on Nov. 22. The home is now called the Orangewood Children & Family Center, and itโs run by the county.
Rose was adopted at Orangewood along with four brothers, โall from the same biological mom.โ
After her adoptive dad passed away, her adoptive mother and the kids moved to Texas, before Southern California lured her back home at age 18.
Next chapter: her career that started five years ago. She is a real estate agent with the Newport Beach office of The Oppenheim Group.
$250,000 Donation to Orangewood Foundation
Despite moves and shifts, she has always remembered Orangewood, the 29th largest nonprofit in OC (see list, page 18). She says she has donated $250,000 of her own money to the Orangewood Foundation, which helps young people transition from foster care to independence.
โI really want to help unfortunate youth in Orange County as much as I can because without Orangewood I would never have been adopted,โ she says. โI want my clients to know, too, that Iโm passionate about it.โ
For now, her philanthropic efforts are focused on Orangewood, including events to raise donations from other supporters. She said her philanthropic efforts may expand in the future.
Orangewood is proud of the donations Rose has made.
โThis experience in the foster care system shaped her commitment to philanthropy and led her to Orangewood Foundation. She understands the challenges that young people face when transitioning out of the foster care system, as well as the transformative impact that organizations like Orangewood Foundation have on a young personโs life,โ says Nikki Dutra, the foundationโs director of marketing and communications.
Empowering About 2,000 Youth Annually
Orangewood Foundation provides services for teens and young adults in Orange County. Each year, they empower approximately 2,000 youth, ages 16-24, through a comprehensive suite of services designed to address food and housing insecurity, mental health challenges, sex trafficking, substance abuse, poverty and the transition out of foster care.
Through her donations, โAlexandra is a true champion of the Orangewood mission, ensuring every young person can reach their greatest potential,โ according to Dutra.
Sheยญ added: โTo amplify her impact, she asked that the majority of her donations be utilized as matching funds to inspire others to give generously โ making her donations go even farther to support young people in Orange County.โ
Loving SoCal, Leaving Texas
Southern California is obviously where Rose wants to be.
โI just love it here, love living here. Iโm passionate about real estate here in Orange County,โ Rose said. โI wanted to get out of Texas.โ
She was a star on the Netflix show โSelling the OC.โ
The show shows the challenges and drama facing The Oppenheim Groupโs agents.
โWhen I was doing it, it was pretty stressful,โ she says. โIt just wasnโt really mentally that healthy for me. It took away from me actually doing real estate.โ
She doesnโt miss being on the show, though it has brought her some benefits via various brands on Instagram.
Oppenheim says Roseโs โprofessional experience in sales and client service ensures that her clients receive personalized guidance and can trust in her expertise, knowledge and patience.โ