LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KTHV) – Using tragedy to create change, a local man has found a bigger way to share his message and honor his late mother. The Beverly Carter Foundation has been certified as a 501(c)(3) non-profit.
“It’s taken me a while, in the pain of losing Mom and the trauma of all that, to find a healthy way that I could help other people,” said Carl Carter, Jr.
Beverly Carter was a real estate agent who was kidnapped and murdered in 2014 while showing a home. Since then, her son, Carl, has spoken to real estate groups around the country, recalling the story of her killing and stressing the need to continued safety training for real estate agents.
“As I tell the story about what happened to my mom,” he mentioned, “so many people in the audience, you just see their eyes open, and they’re like, ‘that would’ve been me.’”
The Carter family and the Arkansas Realtors Association have created new safety programs, such as the Safe Harbor program that identifies offices real estate agents can use as safe locations, and the Beverly Carter Certified Safety Office program for agencies that pledge to prioritize safety training.
“No matter who you are, no matter where you’re working or your surroundings, you always need to be mindful that anything could happen,” said Maurice Taylor, President of the Arkansas Realtors Association.
They also helped push a law through the state legislature mandating one hour of safety training as part of every real estate agent’s continuing education.
“It’s a great start,” Carter Jr. said. “And we want to see the implementation of things that just continue to take it further.”
The Beverly Carter Foundation is his way to do that. Its mission is to make sure that education and resources are always free and within reach for real estate agents.
“I want us to get to where people are,” he explained, “and help them see the importance of it. I think that my sweet mom, I think that her story does that.”
It will provide educational videos and training seminars, advocate for victims, and attempt to pass more laws, in Arkansas and beyond, that keep real estate agents safe.
“I see the problems, recognize that the solutions are complex,” Carter Jr. said. “But I think we’re going to make a lot of positive change.”
Carter Jr. said there is a large difference between speaking about his mother at a convention and launching a fully-functioning 501(c)(3). “I’ve had to go from just this, Beverly’s son, to this entrepreneur of sorts to get this non-profit running,” he stated. “And so there are times that I just sort of sit back and scratch my head, and I’m like, ‘I don’t know what I’m doing at all!’ But my love for my mom, and other people, it just pushes me forward.”
While the Carter family and the Arkansas Realtors Association have worked together in the past, the Beverly Carter Foundation is a separate entity. But since they share the same goals, Taylor said he hopes the foundation succeeds.
“First of all, I admire what (Carter Jr. is) doing,” Taylor mentioned, “because it takes a lot of courage to do what he’s doing, suffering a tragedy such as he suffered, and his family suffered, to be out, talking about safety and having to re-live the whole circumstances of what happened. But Carl is a champion. And what he’s doing to keep safety at the forefront, the Beverly Carter Foundation that him and his family started has some initiatives in it that are just going to help keep safety at the forefront, raise money, and have other safety initiatives, and I just think what he’s doing is just top-shelf, and we’re going to support Carl 100 percent.”
Carter Jr. believes his foundation’s work could have a far-reaching impact, because many industries have the same working conditions as real estate. Electricians, delivery drivers, and people of many other professions worry about their safety as they go about their day.
“I really hope that people will help us,” he added, “as maybe they identify, ‘hey, I have to work alone, and I’ve implemented this particular system that works really well for me,’ and I hope that this can be a collaborative effort, so that we can all just rally together and keep each other safe.”
