Time and time again, Minnesota Realtors® generously give their time, talent, and energy to help those in need, and strengthen their communities. Though 2020 presented many challenges, Realtors® were resilient and showed up.
Realtors® have been hard at work volunteering in their communities to ensure a bright & happy holiday for Minnesota families everywhere. From bell ringing to writing letters to donating time, money & resources, Realtors® touched the lives of so many Minnesotans this year.
Here are a few of their stories:
Natalie Webster – Sending Holiday Joy to Minnesota’s Essential Workers
Realtor® Natalie Webster wanted to show her support & appreciation for health care workers in a special way this holiday season.
So Natalie teamed up with Santa & local businesses to surprise health care workers and their families with virtual visits! But the virtual visits were just the beginning – and Natalie and the businesses also donated their services. It’s Natalie’s hope that she can continue to surprise health care & essential workers with visits from Old Saint Nick & special donated services this holiday season and beyond!
Watch the WCCO story about Natalie
Jerry Moscowitz – Record-Breaking Toys 4 Tots
Realtor® Jerry Moscowitz made it his mission to ensure this holiday felt special for families & children in Minnesota – and he delivered!!
On December 12th, Jerry Moscowitz & his family hosted their 35th annual Toys for Tots drive, where each year they would collect between 500-700 toys for children. Together with the donations of friends, family, and Realtors®, they were able to collect 1,028 toys this year, smashing the previous record of 774!
Joslyn Solomon - Santa Letters Bring Joy to Children & Adults
Every year Joslyn & her husband write 'Santa Letters' to children and adults - and Joslyn personalizes every single one! Now on year seven, writing the letters continues to be one of Joslyn’s favorite holiday activities to bring joy to families everywhere.
In total this year Joslyn & her husband wrote just under 500 letters to families!
“In 2020 this seems even more important as many families are struggling, and if this letter is a shining light, there is nothing more I could wish.” Joslyn said.
LSAR & ‘Realtors® As Neighbors’ Join Forces to Give Back This Holiday Season
The Realtors® as Neighbors organized a Give Thanks event for the members of the Lake Superior Area Realtors® to give back this holiday season. As part of their “Realtors As Neighbors” group, they participated in a “Join-Give-Thank” event & a Best Christmas Ever (BCE) campaign to help families!
Join-Give-Thank Event December 2nd and 3rd
The Realtors® as Neighbors organized a “Give Thanks Event” to give back to local organizations (Safe Haven, Life House, and Adopt-a-Family/Salvation Army) in lieu of their annual Holiday Party. The event was a drive-thru format and participants could drop off their donations safely.
Cash proceeds from the event were split between Safe Haven and Life House totaling $1,750 ($875 per organization)!
All together, 56 Realtors® and Affiliates of the Lake Superior Area Realtors® participated and gave generously. 4 carloads of items were donated in total!
LSAR also provided presents and a holiday dinner for a local family & the LSAR Board of Directors graciously gave the first $300 to make this a reality.
Best Christmas Ever (BCE) – Helping 5 Local Families!
The Realtors® As Neighbors also gave a $5,000 grant to BCE as part of #GivingTuesday on December 1. The funds were utilized as a matching grant and the funds are being used for housing related needs for local BCE families. The money was distributed to BCE captains in $1,000 increments- so our grant was able to make an impact on 5 local families in need by no fault of their own!
Realtor® Chelsea Stahlbusch and the RE/MAX Cloquet BCE team went above & beyond to help to help make a local family that had fell on hard times have a Christmas to remember. With a $1,000 portion of the $5,000 Realtors As Neighbors grant; Chelsea was able to utilize that money to help the Family find a place to call home! They also sold wreaths and other fundraisers to make this a reality!
New Ulm Realtors® Helping Those In Need This Holiday Season
Hearing that their local food shelf was in need, the New Ulm Real Estate jumped in & set-up a contest to help collect food & donations! Together, they raised $815 and over 150lbs of food, plus lots of soaps and tissues, for their local food shelf!
Century 21 Red Shoe Donates to Local Crisis Nursery in New Ulm
The Century 21 Red Shoe Team in New Ulm donated supplies and cash to the Crisis Nursery in New Ulm!