We Are Minnesota

Realtor® Jessica Lamker volunteers with Loaves & Fishes – a nonprofit that works to serve fresh meals for people across the state. Prior to the pandemic, Jessica & her volunteer team would cook & serve up to 150 meals. During COVID, volunteering has looked different, but Jessica and her team are still able to come together to help feed people, as food insecurity has become even more prevalent because of the pandemic.

Jessica & her team are still able to help their community and together they’ve made 80 boxed meals for people!

In April 2020, brokerage owners Decker and Bonnie Velie launched the Velie Real Estate Foundation, a disaster-relief organization that assists Twin Cities residents and businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as destruction from civil unrest. In only a few months, the Velies have raised almost $50,000 from individual donors.

Lisa Dunn’s passion for helping seniors led her into real estate. Through her work she founded The Silver Closet to help seniors in need. In their first six months, Silver Closet was able to supply 8 seniors with everything they needed to get their home started.

The Century 21 Red Shoe Team in New Ulm donated supplies and cash to the Crisis Nursery in New Ulm!

Realtor® Jerry Moscowitz made it his mission to ensure the holiday felt special for families & children in Minnesota. Last December, Jerry Moscowitz & his family hosted their 35th annual Toys for Tots drive where 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!

For Realtor® Denise Sjoberg, volunteering is an important aspect of her life – and it hasn’t slowed down even during the pandemic. Denise has been stepping up & volunteering with the Open Door to ensure people have access to fresh food. Since March 2020, Denise & volunteers have served over 20,000 people in need!

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!

Every year Realtor® Joslyn & Nicholas Solomon write ‘Santa Letters’ to children and adults – and Joslyn personalizes every single one! In total this year, Joslyn & Nicholas wrote just under 500 letters to families!

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!

Realtor® Steve Havig isn’t just passionate about real estate, he’s passionate about people. Steve is involved with a number of nonprofits and charities, including Kids Promise to Charity - an organization that builds homes in Vietnam – and Simpson Housing Services - a Twin Cities nonprofit whose mission is to house, support, and advocate for people experiencing homelessness. Steve is a sponsor for Art 4 Shelter - a major fundraiser held by Simpsons Housing Services - and most recently joined their board of directors.

As a volunteer with Lakeville Optimist Club, Realtor® Nanci Stoddard volunteers alongside other club members, and many fellow Realtors®, to advance development, hope, and a positive vision for local youth. Nanci works on a number of projects for the club, including helping grade school children collect much-needed snack packs, school supplies, and other resources.

Passion about helping others and advocating for equity, Realtor® and 2020 President of Real Estate Association of America (AREAA) Twin Cities, Shannon Lindstrom jumped in to support the community during a time of need. During the summer of 2020, AREAA co-sponsored food donations and also helped package and distribute the produce to families in need at Neighborhood House in Saint Paul. Together they collected and distributed 2,374 pounds of food!

As a Realtor® & a volunteer with Project Haiti, Brenda Mehr is used to making people smile in Minnesota and across the globe. In the spring of 2019, Brenda visited Pignon, Haiti and helped the dental clinic assess their needs so they can continue to provide dental services to their community year-round. It is Brenda’s hope that they can raise funds to send supplies to keep the dental clinic open to treat patients and spread smiles in Pignon.

Tess is a volunteer with Majestic Hills Ranch and their therapeutic riding program for children and young adults with special needs. She assists with catching the horses, grooming them and tacking in preparation for the riding sessions, in addition to leading horses and riders around the arena.

Mallorie works with the Red Shoe Society – this picture is from the Brew Love fundraising event that raised money for the houses in the Twin Cities.

When Detroit Lakes was asked what would enhance their community the answer was more art! So the Lakes County Association of Realtors® team got to work raising money and searching for an artist. After 6 months of work, the “Glassinator” was brought to life!

Jason and his furry-costumed friend, Curt the Bear, regularly spreads joy to their Willmar community. The pair enjoys walking, waving, and bringing smiles to the children and elderly residents to offer a fun relief.

A shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) was putting the health and safety of essential workers across Minnesota at risk. So Lake Superior Area Realtors® (LSAR) came together and volunteered with the nonprofit charity Ecolibrium 3’s Pay it Forward PPE project to help assemble the much needed PPE face shields for essential workers. Together they cranked out 6,000 units in a single session!

For more than 25 years, LeRoy J. Bendickson has led bike teams to raise money for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Minnesota Chapter. His “Real Estate Riders” team raised $250K in 2019, and since he began, his teams have raised nearly $2.5 million.

Geri and Mike scored some sweat equity for future generations by planting a young maple at Redwood Falls Park. The Scenic City Realty brokers joined other community volunteers during the town’s annual Tree-Planting program.

Emily sews cloth masks for her students and community after seeing the need for protective masks. Emily has made over 200 masks for Duluth area schools, hospitals, recovery centers, friends/co-workers and plans to keep going as long as needed.