by Michele Gillis
Staff Writer
Volunteering is part of the fabric of the real estate and builder community.
It can be very therapeutic and gives you an opportunity to help others while gaining something in return-an opportunity to change the world.
“We are in a service industry and so many of our members chose real estate as their career because they are serving individuals,” said Don Mullinax, chair of the Northeast Florida Association of Realtors Community Affairs Task Force. “Giving is in their nature and it’s just who they are.”
Holly McMurry of The Legends of Real Estate is on the board of Goodwill of North Florida and believes in giving to the community through various avenues.
“It has been instilled in me from childhood to volunteer in all sorts of projects,” said McMurry. “When I get involved in Girl Scouts, 4-H clubs and team sports, I do it because I would like to make this world a better place for my grandchildren and I receive more fulfillment than the efforts that I give.”
Many companies get involved in the community as a whole, which brings the company together while helping others.
“It is part of Keller Williams core values,” said Mark Dilworth of Keller Williams Realty, Atlantic Partners, whose company is involved in several charitable causes. “It’s important for all of us to give back to the communities we do business in.”
Personally, Dilworth is involved in several charities including Alex’s Lemonade Stand and a Kids Jitsu Leadership program.
“Both my wife Lisa and I feel very fortunate with our lives,” said Dilworth. “We felt that it was time to get our kids involved so as they grew older they would understand the importance of giving back. That is the original reason we became involved with Alex’s Lemonade Stand and their fight against childhood cancer.
“As far as my involvement in the Kids Jitsu Leadership program, I felt like I could share certain experiences with them at a lesser level to grow and develop. For the kids it is about being held accountable as a leader and there is a different standard that they need to adhere to and skills sets they can develop.”
Community outreach
Community service is something that Davidson Realty values in themselves and others.
“They believe a company should be a good citizen and giving back speaks to their company mission and values,” said Peyton Davidson of Davidson Realty. “Our mission is ‘Value People First…Before, Over and Above Everything Else’.”
Watson Realty is involved in several charitable causes because they feel that as Realtors, giving back to the community is important.
“Caring is very much a part of our company culture,” said Paula Silberberg of Watson Realty, is the general chair for Watson Cares, the company’s charitable foundation. “It is without a doubt a labor of love. There are many events and initiatives that our offices are involved in. We have been involved with ramp builds, blood drives, feeding the homeless and so many other initiatives.”
Volunteering also can give participants a feeling of accomplishment and solidarity.
“Every time a team of volunteers elevates another person’s quality of life, we enhance our community and strengthen our economy,” said Paul Gruenther of Watson Realty, who is very involved in NEFAR’s charitable efforts, especially Ramp It Up!
Magnolia Properties believes that they are in a business that benefits from people who support them and give them business and repeat business.
“Because of them, it inspires me to give back to the community,” said Diane Moss of Magnolia Properties. “They feed, house and clothe me. Then I want to help out where it is needed.
“That’s one reason.
“Another is that I appreciate when people support our charities. We do have Angel Works here at Magnolia and it is extremely gratifying at Christmas to see how generous the agents and customers are to the less fortunate. I have a granddaughter with cystic fibrosis. When the agents step up and give their time and give financially to the CF Foundation, I am inspired to give more of myself to help others.”
Moss said ramp building is also an amazing experience.
“You are able to free someone up to get out of the house more easily,” said Moss. “The teamwork involved is incredible. It is gratifying to see the ramp completed and ready to function. To quote an old quote, ‘Don’t repay kindness, pass it on’.”
Starting Womanade
Judy Hicks of Re/Max Coastal founded Womenade, an organization that mentors the children at daniel through career development, fun and community services. She first became involved with daniel after meeting someone that worked for them and was invited to tour the campus.
“What an eye opener,” said Hicks. “As I walked around the cottages and saw where the kids slept and spent their time I turned and asked my guide ‘Where are all of their things?’. She looked at me and said ‘It’s all right there’. All they had was a couple of pairs of underwear, socks, one pair of shoes and no toys.
“Oh, man, that just about killed me. All I could think about was that I had to help them. It really hurt me to see how little they had and how hurt they were. I could see the pain in their eyes and the distrust. It made such an impact on me that I couldn’t not help.
“I called the next day and said ‘How can I help you?’ They invited me onto their board, on which I served for several years, and from there I began Womenade. It’s been 10 years now and we’ve raised $104,000 for daniel.”
There are many opportunities to get involved if you’ve never done it.
“One does not have to look far to get involved,” said McMurry. “Helping an older neighbor is a great start but everyone has a gift to share. One can pick a project within their comfort zone to start, now that is exciting.”
McMurry said she watched Sarah Monroe, who is now deceased, create Volunteer Jacksonville from a group of singles wanting to give to the community to a concept that was copied throughout the United States.
“It provided volunteers from working the shows at the different venues throughout Jacksonville to stuffing envelopes at different non-profits in our city,” said McMurry.
NEFAR does a good job providing opportunities for its members to get involved in.
Mullinax is the chair of the NEFAR Community Affairs Task Force and faces the challenge of finding volunteer opportunities for the members of NEFAR.
“Our membership is about 4,000 and one of our challenges is being able to put together projects that effectively work for our membership,” said Mullinax.
NEFAR’s Ramp It Up! program had a partnership with the Duval County Housing Partnership to help on their wheelchair ramp projects. The organization would provide the materials, tools, supervisor and plans while NEFAR provided the volunteers.
“Due to the economic downturn, the Duval County Housing Partnership simply went out of business,” said Mullinax, of Commission Express. “But, we have since been able to restore the same type of partnership with the St. Johns County Housing Partnership.”
Getting business
Involvement with NEFAR’s community projects can also help you get business while helping others in the process.
Haven Hospice gets a lot of its funding through its resale store and it is run primarily by volunteers.
“NEFAR just donated a truck to the Haven Hospice Attic resale store, so they can go out and pick up goods that are donated,” said Mullinax.
‘The reason this is potentially a good fit for NEFAR is that every time an agent goes out to do a listing presentation, one of the things they tell clients is that they need to de-clutter. Now, they have a way that they can get a truck there to take away their unwanted items.”
Also, Realtors can volunteer at the resale store and meet potential clients while they are at it.
“This is where NEFAR shines,” said Dilworth. “They provide many opportunities to help Realtors get involved. They deserve to be commended.”
Mullinax said the wheelchair ramp builds are fun and productive.
“It’s a lot of fun,” said Mullinax. “Just the social aspect of it and being able to spend time with other members outside of the normal business we do is great. It’s nice to create something tangible at the end of the day that you can actually see someone come down the ramp in their wheelchair.”
The Northeast Florida Builders Association’s charitable arm is Builder’s Care, which represents many of the builders and trades partners in the area. Its mission is to provide construction services for senior, disabled, and low income individuals in the area.
“It has been the most rewarding part of my life to serve others in need,” said Chris Simons, executive director of Builders Care. “There are many reasons to volunteer. It is our moral responsibility to help those fragile souls in need. It will always come back to you.”
Builders Care meets every third Saturday on the east side of EverBank field at 7 a.m. to go to various jobsites.
“Builders Care is a grassroots, home-grown organization that depends on God-hearted people to continue its good works,” said Simons. “There are many way to get involved either by volunteering or making a financial contribution.”
Davidson Realty created the Davidson Appreciates Teachers program to recognize teachers at its local neighborhood schools.
“The whole World Golf Village community is invited to nominate and vote on favorite teachers,” said Davidson. “Davidson Realty agents are encouraged to give back as well in events benefitting Relay for Life, March of Dimes and Cystic Fibrosis. These are group activities where the whole company is invited to participate. Several agents came out on a Saturday to participate, and even brought their spouses and children along.”
Though it may be hard to even know where to start, a good way to decide is to find something you are passionate about and then look for opportunities where you can help out.
“I think the key to getting involved is to do something that is important to you,” said Hicks. “Kids are important to me. I don’t have my own children but I have four nephews and each one of is so special to me.”
Why should people volunteer their time and talents to help others?
“All of us have been given special gifts by giving and sharing these gifts of talent we create a stronger community by the communication build a better country and receive fulfillment of a job well done,” said McMurry.
Volunteering exercises your spirit, says Gruenther.
“It builds character and leadership skills,” he said. “It gives us opportunities to meet incredible people, learn new things and visit interest parts of our region. It can also enhance your business.”
Repeat help
Many agents say once you get involved you are hooked. It feels so good to help others that you want to keep going and giving no matter what.
“The agents that get involved for the first time are so amazed and happy that they volunteered, they usually do it again,” said Moss.
Volunteering can also help your soul and can bring healing to everyone involved.
“Giving helps participants to heal if they need it, helps them laugh if they need it, helps them realize that there are others out there that have it far worse that they may be having it and let’s face it — I think God placed within each of us a need to give away love,” said Hicks. “Think about a child that has never been hugged and how horrible that would be. You can bring so much joy to someone by just showing up and offering a smile. I do not know anyone that can’t benefit from that.”
Sometimes people don’t get involved in charity work because they either don’t know how, are afraid of what will happen if they do or they don’t know what they have to offer. But, the fact is, everyone has something to offer, no matter how small it may seem.
“People don’t get involved because they are afraid to be obligated and someone will be constantly asking them to donate or volunteer,” said Moss. “I try to be discreet with the agents and not hound them about volunteering because I know it will discourage them from volunteering or donating.”
When an opportunity arises, Moss says she talks about it to her agents and encourages them to participate.
“If someone has never volunteered, they may just not know how or they don’t want to leave their comfort zone,” said McMurry.
But Gruenther said timing is everything. He said people just need to be asked at the right time.
“We must keep asking,” said Gruenther.
Others in need
It can be hard, but seeing others in need is tough to do, but sometimes it is a necessary evil of volunteering.
“I can tell you from experience that it’s really hard for a lot of people to see others that are in pain,” said Hicks. “Sometimes I think people don’t know that there is so much you can do and it doesn’t cost you anything but your time. It’s also good for people to know that sometimes you can give as little at $5 or $10 and make a huge difference to a charity.”
If you are a volunteer, you have an inside view as to what’s involved and letting others know about it can make great strides in increasing involvement in your community.
“We reach out and welcome others around us to join our efforts,” said Silberberg. “As much we involve ourselves in so many various projects, it’s also gratifying to collectively rally around any particular cause to make a strong and positive impact.”
McMurry said she makes calls, buys tickets and takes a guest to introduce them to the project.
“If they are not interested in my project, I find what they are interested in,” said McMurry.
Gruenther is a huge recruiter of talent for many organizations. He “hires” volunteers for a number of organizations and is good about following up and keeping in touch with more opportunities as they arise.
Sometimes, just inviting people who know to what you are involved in can make a huge impact.
“I’ve invited so many people to tour daniel’s campus and I can say that almost everyone decides to help in some way,” said Hicks. “At Womenade, we do a lot of hands-on things with the kids and once someone experiences that you can’t keep them away.”
Getting involved can create a domino effect, where others see the results and want to get involved.
“If someone gets involved, I support them and ask them to pass it on,” said McMurry. “I believe in the power of one. Involve one person and ask them to pass it on. I must say I have met very few people who do not volunteer in some aspect of their life to make our world a better place.”
Moss said when agents volunteer their time and feel the gratification it makes them more willing to do it again.
“And they do,” said Moss. “Donating money is harder with the market being the way it is. The one constant that we all have is time. Managing your time well and fitting in volunteering is priceless.”
Hicks said she gets more from helping the kids than they could ever get from her.
“I think that is true for most people,” said Hicks. “It becomes a way of life once you know you can make a difference and all of a sudden you can’t imagine not helping someone.”