Amir Behani, A Charlotte Native, Gives Back to His Community

Amir Behani is a Charlotte native, successful entrepreneur, and business owner, working in residential and commercial real estate across the Charlotte area. Over the past seven years, he has been a Hands On Charlotte volunteer and project lead for The Relatives, a United Way Agency that helps children and youth find shelter and support. Amir currently lives in Plaza Midwood with his wife and daughter.

 

Over seven years ago, Amir Behani found himself looking for opportunities to give back to the community. The stock market had just crashed and Amir lost everything – his job, his home, his car, and a stable income to rely on. With much reflection, Amir concluded that everything happens for a reason, which lead him to share his experience of loss to help others get to their next step in life.

 

Before the market crash, Amir had accomplished the American Dream. At the age of 10, he relocated to Charlotte with his family after living in Iran, India, and several states across the US. He grew up in SouthPark, attended West Charlotte High School, and became the first student to graduate with three business degrees simultaneously from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

 

“I chose to attend West Charlotte over Myers Park. In 1994, West Charlotte’s football team were the national champs and it was one of two schools in the Charlotte area with a swimming pool.” recalled Amir. “But the reason I chose to go there and am still proud of that decision was for the diversity.”

 

Amir felt molded by his experiences living in and learning from other cultures. These life lessons are among the many stories he shares with runaway teens at The Relatives, Charlotte’s crisis shelter for homeless youth.

 

Each teen carries a different story, different experiences, and different burdens. After his first few weeks volunteering and spending time playing games with residents of The Relatives, Amir decided it was time to guide each teen to use their experiences as a strength and develop self confidence in their situations.

 

During his next volunteer night at The Relatives, he started the conversation with four questions: “What three things are you good at?” “What are you proud of?” “What’s one thing that makes you weaker?” and “What’s one thing that makes you stronger?” The answers he received blew him away.

 

One teen responded, “I feel weaker because whenever I make a grade that is higher than my step-siblings my stepfather hits me.” Another replied, “I feel stronger because seeing my father in jail is my motivation to make the right choices.”

 

Every week for the past seven years, Amir has continued to ask these questions. He shared that in many ways, the answers each teenager provides are relatable to his own situation and he feels stronger with each conversation.

 

“Now that my daughter is two and half years old, I have started taking her to my Thursday night sessions,” said Amir. “At one of the sessions, a 17 year old also brought his seven month old son. With both of our children nestled in our arms, we discussed the importance of parenting and being present in your child’s life. Already, his son had become his strength.”

 

By giving back, Amir turned his crisis into a new beginning. In doing so, he has helped the teens at The Relatives embark on a new path as well.