Giving Back ~ Cara Ferreira

giving back

Cara Ferreira, Keller Williams Jacksonville

A Passion for Finding a Home for People and Dogs!

By Jennifer Watson

Cara loves involving her children, Abby and Adam, in fostering dogs (Reesie pictured)

Reesie and Ranger, two foster dogs that Cara adopted.

Meet Reesie and Ranger, CaraFerreira’s Labrador retrievers that she adopted from Labrador Retriever Rescue of Florida (LRROF). Reesie (adopted in 2015) was originally named “Georgia’’ and had been rescued from a situation where she was being overbred and had recently had puppies. Ranger was rescued last year from a bad situation and is Cara’s first “foster failure.”

“I had adopted my first dog, Paolo, from a pet store when I was only 21 years old and before I knew anything about puppy mills,” Cara says. “This time around, I wanted to go through a rescue organization.”

After completing a detailed form and passing a home visit, Cara was approved by LRROF to adopt one of their Labradors. The organization thought “Georgia” might be a perfect dog for Cara’s family, and they were right.

“We drove out to meet her at her foster mom’s house… When we pulled up, she came running outside and jumped into the back of our minivan!” Cara smiles. “The rest is history! I renamed her Reesie because she’s a chocolate lab, and chocolate peanut butter is my favorite! Ranger was actually one of our foster dogs, foster #4! Reesie got along with him so well, and the kids and I also fell in love with him, so we decided to make him officially ours. We just adopted Ranger in October 2022.”

According to the LRROF website, it “started in 2000 as a grassroots organization… to become one of the most successful dedicated breed-specific rescues in the state of Florida.” The organization’s primary goal is to place Labrador retrievers in appropriate permanent homes. “Prior to adoption, [they] consider the history, temperament, personality, and energy level of the rescued Labrador. Before placing a dog with a family, the family must complete a written application and a home visit conducted by an LRROF volunteer.”

Through her own personal adoption experience with LRROF, Cara decided she wanted to work with the organization because she felt it would be a great way to involve her children, Adam (13) and Abby (9), in a family volunteer experience.

“For a short time, I did home visits and approved people so they could adopt,” Cara says. “More recently, I’d been trying to think of a volunteer opportunity that I could do with my kids. They are both huge animal lovers, so that factored into it.”

“In addition, my former assistant and friend, Lauren, is one of the foster coordinators for a hound rescue, The London Sanctuary, and she fosters hounds,” Cara explains. “I never thought I would be able to foster dogs, but she inspired me with all of her stories, especially the success stories.”

When Cara saw an urgent plea for foster homes posted on Facebook by LRROF, she decided that was the sign she needed to get started. Since August 2021, Cara and her kids have fostered ten Labrador retrievers, all of which have gone on to be successfully adopted by their forever families.

A HABIT OF GIVING

Cara’s work with LRROF is not her first experience volunteering. In high school and college, Cara worked with children who had autism, and she was also a Big Sister in college through Big Brothers/Big Sisters. Through the years, she has also been a faithful blood and platelet donor.

Early on, Cara understood the importance of volunteering because she grew up watching her older brother, Brian, who is mentally and physically disabled, rely on his family and others for day-to-day support.

“He’s a huge part of who I am today and why it’s so important to me to volunteer and give back,” Cara says.

Brian lived at home in Northeastern, PA, until he was 21, and he now lives in a group home in Pennsylvania. Since Brian is nonverbal and Cara now lives in Florida, she doesn’t get to see him or communicate with him as often as she’d like. Giving back to the community in which she currently lives is a way she can honor her brother when she can’t be with him.

CHARTING HER PATH

Becoming a real estate agent happened over several years for Cara.

“I went to college at Brandeis University outside of Boston. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be a teacher or a lawyer, so I graduated with a degree in history and minors in both elementary education and legal studies,” Cara says. “After college, I moved to Georgia to be a first-grade teacher … and I also went back to school on weekends and obtained a Master of Education.”

Around that same time, Cara also met her now ex-husband, and the two began their family in 2009. While her children were young, Cara was able to stay home with them for six years, a time in her life she will “always treasure.” However, the lack of income increasingly became problematic within her marriage.

In December 2015, the family decided it was time for Cara to go back to work. She wasn’t sure if she should return to being a classroom teacher or if she should try something new. “I’d always thought real estate looked interesting. When we moved to Florida from North Carolina, I played a huge role in making sure the sale of our home went through. So I sent in the paperwork to obtain my Florida teaching certificate at the same that I enrolled in real estate school. I was hoping for a sign one way or another. By lunchtime on the first day of real estate school, I knew that was what I was meant to do. That was truly one of the most pivotal moments of my life.”

A FRESH START

In January of 2016, Cara began the process of getting her real estate license.

“I wanted to do something that involved helping others, but also something I could somewhat work around my kids and their schedules,” Cara says.

Becoming a real estate agent allowed Cara the financial independence and the flexibility of time she so desired.

“In 2021, I closed $22.7 million in volume. Five or six years after that pivotal moment, I am completely independent financially,” Cara says. “I love that my children can look up to me as a working single mom, business owner, and female role model.”

In the future, Cara would enjoy having a small team to manage, but she wants to keep things client-focused as she continues to become people’s “family real estate agent.”

I love that my children can look up to me as a working single mom, business owner, and female role model.

AT HOME WITH CARA

Cara, Adam, and Abby are always up for an adventure. They “especially love going to Universal Studios,” and they also enjoy ice skating, roller skating, and time at the pool. Cara says she also loves to travel, listen to live music, and play trivia.

“Sometimes, I really just enjoy sitting on the couch with the dogs and binge-watching TV, especially after a stressful week,” she says.

Ultimately, Cara wants to be remembered for being a kind and good person in both her professional and personal lives, and she wants her children to remember her as a mom who was always there for them.

For now, you can find her playing with Reesie, Ranger, and the other members of her pack as she readies her next foster dogs for adoption.