Company-wide, Coldwell worked with more than 10 charities in 2015, with the largest event being the United Way campaign. However, each of their offices chose to work with different charitable organizations throughout the year by raising money, participating in food and clothing drives, and more.
"We have many realtors who donate their own time and generosity to numerous foundations throughout the community," said Shannon Landers, director of recruitment for Coldwell Banker Heritage Realtors. "Our biggest accomplishment is being able to give to so many charities and participate in outreach to the community. It is important to work with our communities because it is our communities that build us and make our company a possibility. Home is where a community begins, and we are proud to be a part of the most important piece of a community. We believe in the power of giving back, and we give thanks to our realtors and employees who make this a part of their values and business."
Coldwell Banker has a long-standing partnership with United Way and with Habitat for Humanity. They participate in the United Way campaign every year, and this year they completed a Habitat parking lot build in front of the Dayton Dragons' Fifth Third Field. Coldwell also participated in the Battle of the Businesses, which benefits the Special Olympics; a mud volleyball tournament aiding the Epilepsy Foundation; the American Dream contest; and the Susan G. Komen "Strides Against Breast Cancer."
"Battle of the Businesses for Special Olympics was a huge success this year," Landers said. "We have participated in this charity for many years, but this year we really wanted to take our participation to a new level. We had 28 realtors and staff members volunteer their best sports skills and battle it out in numerous events such as swimming, bowling, volleyball, tug-of-war, team ski, and a fun-filled field day. The offices fought hard to raise record-breaking donations and support the Special Olympics.
"The panel build for Habitat for Humanity of Greater Dayton was also a huge success," she added. "Partnering with the Dayton Dragons and Habitat, we pulled over 130 volunteers together to build the walls of a home for a Dayton family (who also volunteered that day). We titled the event 'Families Building Homes for Families' and encouraged realtors to bring out their families to build a home. The response to this event was overwhelmingly positive, as it is not often that we get to be on the building side of things. My favorite part of the day was hearing the hammers as they made their own melody of hard work and positive networking."
Another big event Coldwell participated in was the 2015 Dayton Women's Fair, where they partnered with the Humane Society of Greater Dayton and Puppy Pals Rescue of Dayton to help find homes for dogs. All dogs featured in their booth were adopted, helping Coldwell Banker national to reach its goal of finding 20,000 homes for dogs.
The Huber Heights and Centerville offices also hosted the annual "Great Pumpkin Giveaway," where they distributed more than 2,000 pumpkins to families in the community.
In 2016, the company plans to do many of the same events involving the same charities, with the focus being on Battle of the Businesses, a Habitat build, United Way, and the Strides Against Breast Cancer.
Each year, Coldwell partners with schools for their American Dream contest, a local contest that awards students across the region for writing about what makes their house a home. These essays are heartfelt and are written by students from a variety of backgrounds and traditions. The American Dream contest is currently open to any Dayton-area student in grades 2 through 8. For information or to submit an entry, visit AmericanDreamContest.com.