Sandi Wagner, Watson Intracoastal
Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, Watson Cares.
Wagner has been in real estate for over 30 years. This may be her first Humanitarian Award from NEFAR, but she has been involved in community service for years and enjoys giving to the community.
Her job: She has been the managing broker of Watson Realty’s Intracoastal West office since 1992.
What she does: As the Jacksonville regional representative for Watson Cares, Watson Realty’s charitable organization, Wagner organizes events to raise funds for the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, the chosen charity for 2011-2012. She organized a fundraising concert with the band, Aire Traffic, which raised over $22,000 for the foundation.
Her passion: Organizing and raising funds for charitable organizations. Last year, she helped Watson Cares raise $50,000 for the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation.
Why do it? She was asked to participate as the Jacksonville chairperson.
“Life is about giving to others. It’s not all about us.”
How did she get started? Wagner is no stranger to community service. Over the years, she has spearheaded involvement by her office in several community outreach programs including NEFAR’s Ramp it Up! program, fundraisers for Hurricane Katrina victims and Haiti.
The reward? “I love challenges and helping other people get what they want. That’s the biggest thing that drives me. You tell me what you want and I will show you how to get it.”
— Michele Gillis
Judy Davis, Fred Miller Group
Clothing the homeless
Davis is a Jacksonville native and has been a Realtor since 1986. She has worked with various companies including Watson, Re/Max and Atkinson/Knight.
Her job: She’s an agent with the Fred Miller Group office in Ortega.
Her passion: If a homeless person is to get back into society, he or she needs a wardrobe. Davis originally got involved with the Sulzbacher Center in downtown Jacksonville and since has expanded her reach to the Downtown Ecumenical Services Council and Dignity U Wear, where she serves as volunteer coordinator.
What she does: “I coordinate collection of donated clothing. We get it all to the Dignity U Wear offices on Myrtle Avenue and sort it, then get it back to the agencies that need it.”
How did she get started? “I read a book titled “Same Kind of Different as Me” about a wealthy man in Texas and a homeless man. I realized that the homeless are just like the rest of us; they’re people who need a break.”
Getting involved: “I went to the Sulzbacher Center to volunteer and noticed a closet full of clothing. There wasn’t a volunteer to sort it, so I sat on the floor and got started. That was two years ago and I haven’t quit since.”
— Fred Seely
Joanne Gaudette, Watson Realty
Hospice volunteer
Gaudette is a New Hampshire native, a Penn State graduate and a Realtor in Northeast Florida for 25 years. It’s her second Humanitarian Award; she also won in 2004.
Her job: She’s an agent in Watson’s Mandarin office.
Her passion: With her poodle Gigi, she visits hospices, nursing homes and at-home patients. Her main focus is the Earl B. Hadlow Center for Caring, the hospice on Jacksonville’s Southside.
What she does: “Anything to bring cheer. Gigi and I dress up and make the rounds. We do the stockings at Christmas, anything that will bring a smile.”
Dress up? “Like elves or reindeer at Christmas. One day, I was a devil and GiGi was an angel with a halo.”
How did she get started? “I had a friend who was terminally ill and I saw what a wonderful place we have in Hospice. I was determined to do something.”
Training: “I took a volunteer class and worked as a greeter, helped at special events, helped with the Speakers Bureau and served at the Concours d’Elegance, a benefit for the Hadlow Center.”
The dog: “Originally, I had two Shelties that I got when a friend passed away. I became certified to do therapy with dogs in 2002 and I’ve been doing it ever since. Both Shelties passed away and I finally found GiGi. She’s perfect.”
Mary Walker, ERA Davis & Linn
Medical Mission Volunteer
Walker has been a Realtor for 34 years and has she has served on 22 medical missions since 1995. She also won the Humanitarian Award from NEFAR in 2010.
Her job: She’s an agent with ERA Davis & Linn.
Her passion: “I love to give. I love adventure. I love the fact that I can go and be a part of something that helps so many people. There are people who are not going to make it if we are not there. I love being there at the right place and the right time and meeting their urgent needs.”
What she does: Jewish Voice, a local ministry, puts out a call to medical professionals to go help people in destitute places in world. Walker’s job is to organize the new medical groups and oversee their part in the mission trip. “I have administrative skills mixed with people skills. When the people come to the clinic, they are triaged according to teeth, eyes or medical. We are so organized that we can see upwards of 10,000 people in a week with only about 50 medical professionals.”
Why do it? “It’s my sense of adventure and I think it is cool. I do real estate so I can do missions. I do real estate so I can facilitate going to the far reaches of the earth where nobody else wants to go and I find it so fulfilling.”
Where she travels for missions: Africa, Zimbabwe, Ukraine, Guatemala, Siberia, Belarus, Ethiopia, India and Argentina.
How did she get started? A friend invited her to go on a mission trip as part of a prayer group. While there, the leader of the mission needed a personal assistant and asked Walker to help. “He knew I had administrative skills and we just created a relationship. He said he wanted me on all of his trips because I was so helpful to him.”
How does she balance missions with her work? Walker does about three mission trips a year and other agents in her office cover for her. “The people in my office are awesome. They have treasure in Heaven waiting for them because they take care of my business while I am gone.”
— Michele Gillis