As a pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles, Joe Kampa learned the
importance of timing, focus, judgment and control. The
professional athlete’s self-discipline and competitive spirit
led to his winning record on the baseball field, in law
school and his professional career.
Today he is a commercial real estate success story, one of
the most recognized brokers and highest achievers in the
Washington area. Kampa is also a committed Catholic, devoted
to his family and to what he believes in – the vision and the
future of Divine Mercy Care.
Kampa plans to make dreams a reality for Divine Mercy Care,
the nonprofit Fairfax-based Catholic health care
organization, founded in 2000 by Dr. John Bruchalski, that
runs the Tepeyac Family Center and DMC Pharmacy. To
accomplish that, Kampa recently has established a Commercial
Real Estate Referral Program, which has magnified
philanthropic potential because of the value of office lease
transactions in the Washington area.
Kampa, who has spent more than 20 years representing tenants
such as major law firms, corporations, foundations,
associations and nonprofits, was encouraged by his wife of 26
years, Kathleen, to launch the program after listening to
Bruchalski talk about the vision of Divine Mercy Care at its
November gala.
“It’s about John Bruchalski’s cause and my deep respect for
him, inspired by my wife, who has promoted him for years,”
said Kampa. “This is a way to enable John Bruchalski to keep
pursuing his growth dreams instead of looking over his
shoulder at financial problems.”
Kampa, as a tenant advocate and principal of Summit
Commercial, has pledged to donate one-third of his earnings
in the name of the entity he represents.
Over the years, Kampa has developed a network of satisfied
clients.
“The mix of baseball with a law degree was perfect for
commercial real estate because it is more of a street
profession,” said Kampa, who has a reputation for tenacity
and thoroughness.
“Our plans are to develop from the ground up an authentically
Catholic health care system for the Arlington Diocese,” said
Bob Laird, executive director of Divine Mercy Care.
Bruchalski has gained local and international attention and
support in the Church, the medical field and the media for
his renaissance in Catholic medical care, with his goal of
“transforming hearts through health care.” He is a guest
speaker in the medical community and for pro-life
organizations around the world. Next month, he will speak in
Hong Kong at the invitation of local Catholic bishops.
Medical students from schools, such as Georgetown University,
intern at Tepeyac.
Tepeyac, with six OB/GYN physicians on staff, delivered 629
babies in 2008. Of those, 100 were charity cases, part of the
$400,000 in charity care the practice shouldered last year.
Projected charity costs for 2009 are $600,000, due to
increased patient numbers from Northern Virginia, Maryland
and the District of Columbia, rising birthrates and the
sluggish economy.
In addition to delivering babies, Bruchalski’s goal is to
deliver a message that all human life is sacred, and to
transform the culture into a “culture of life” as described
by Pope John Paul II, where children are welcomed as a gift
from God, not a burden.
“There is no other entity within the diocese that supports
Catholic health care,” said Betty Childers, associate
director of Divine Mercy Care and vice-president of business
development.
She said that priests refer couples to Tepeyac for natural
family planning (NFP) classes. Tepeyac also provides support
for diocesan programs such as Project Rachel, for
post-abortion healing, and Gabriel Project, which assists
women with crisis pregnancies. The clinic provides assistance
to families who have lost a child. The recently opened
nonprofit, pro-life DMC Pharmacy serves the area, including
the elderly and underprivileged, with affordable discounts.
Kampa’s commercial real estate referral program translates
into a fast-paced growth opportunity for Divine Mercy Care,
given that a typical lease in downtown Washington for
10,000-square-feet for 10 years would yield $25,000 for
Divine Mercy Care.
“With rents being what they are today, lease costs are one of
the larger expenses of doing business, other than payroll,”
Kampa said.
“Bruchalski needs lay people to step up and help,” he said.
“If we don’t do it, no one is going to. Within our Faith,
there are organizations that need our financial help, so
people have to come out of their comfort zone. If it isn’t
money that they can give, then they can tithe in one way or
another.”
Kampa, who attends daily Mass with his wife, stressed how
important his Catholic Faith is to his family.
“Daily Mass is our rock that guides us,” he said. “It is the
first and best part of our day.”
Parishioners of St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Great Falls,
the Kampa’s have four daughters. The oldest is now in
college, one is a senior in high school and the youngest, 9,
was adopted from Kazakhstan. Their second daughter is the
first American invited to study at the Vaganova Choreographic
Institute, rated the top ballet academy in the world, in St.
Petersburg, Russia.
When asked if she inherited this athletic ability from her
dad, Kampa shook his head.
“She gets the grace from her mother.”
Socarras is a freelance writer from Annandale.
