Who's Who 2011: Raelenna Ferguson

Ferguson, a broker/sales executive at Realty Executives of Cape County, is passionate about helping women and children around the world. She's led multiple service trips to Swaziland, Africa, coordinated Heart for Africa Fundraisers in Cape Girardeau, and will travel to Haiti this spring to volunteer in a women's clinic. In addition, Ferguson recently became president of HOW (Helping Orphans and Widows) Jewelry, an organization that sells jewelry handmade by African women. Money raised from the jewelry sales helps the women feed, clothe and educate their children.

She is a member of Zonta Club of Cape Girardeau, La Croix United Methodist Church and the Cape Girardeau County Board of Realtors. She volunteers at various outreach/youth programs in downtown Cape, including mentoring programs for young women. From the Cape Girardeau County Board of Realtors, she has received: Rookie of the Year, 2005; Summit Award Winner, 2005, 2007-2010; Pinnacle Award, 2006; Realty Executives: Silver Executive, 2005, 2007-2008; Gold Executive, 2006, 2009-2010; 100% Club in 2007. Ferguson was a Zonta Women of Achievement nominee for 2010.

"If I had 10 extra hours a week to volunteer I would absolutely spend that time working directly with the Department of Family Services. The foster care system is in great need of good people to help care for children right here in Southeast Missouri. I have good friends who are foster parents, and they have opened my eyes to a new way of fostering children. Foster children and/or foster parents have always gotten kind of a bad rap, but now that I have seen it on the other side and seen that the need is huge, I would love to help alleviate this 'taboo' around foster care."