By Mary Driscoll, Sales Representative with EXIT Realty at Home in East Lansing, MI
At EXIT Realty At Home we constantly think of, well, “home.” So, when broker, Heather Driscoll, agents, and staff considered our next candidate for the Spirit of EXIT Charitable Program we embraced mid-Michigan’s Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC). It is RMHC’s mission to provide a local home-away-from-home venue for families of seriously ill children under treatment at Lansing’s hospitals and clinics.
How to support this effort led the EXIT At Home office to get super creative with its fundraising campaign that kicked off in the fall of 2022. Since everyone loves to be a “winner” two extravagant raffles were created. The first, coinciding with Halloween, offered two gift baskets complete with spirits, spooky décor, decadent desserts, and vendor donated gift cards all for the price of a $5 ticket. Sales went beyond expectations thanks to the outstanding efforts of all in the office, family, friends, and dozens of cause supporters wanting to score that big win. A second raffle romanced ticket sales with three “After Your Heart,” Valentine’s Day baskets ready made to celebrate the big red day. Our key vendor partners contributed lovingly to the success of the February 14th drawing. EXIT Realty At Home was forever planted in the hearts of all participants and RMHC!
Food, food, food was never just a raffle follow-up but a well-planned feast for Ronald McDonald House residents. The EXIT At Home office people created menus, grocery shopped, and prepared three separate home cooked meals in the House’s kitchen. After all, meals offered in a caring atmosphere strengthen the bodies and nurture the wellbeing of these families undergoing difficult times. Expanding on the food theme, EXIT Realty At Home also arranged an evening at Lansing’s Applebees who generously donated a percentage of those sales to our program.
A portion of every transaction fee received by EXIT Realty Corp. International is applied to its charitable fund. Through the Spirit of EXIT Charitable Program, EXIT offices and associates can raise money for local, approved, registered charities and apply to EXIT’s head office to have those funds matched from the company’s pool of funds. EXIT Realty at Home hoped to raise $3,000, which EXIT’s head office was proud to match, however they exceeded their goal and raised $3,467.12 for a total donation of $6,467.12 to RMHC to continue its critical work in providing families of seriously ill children a home away from home.
“Thank you again for EXIT Realty’s generous donation. This money will go far in helping us take care of families while keeping them close to their hospitalized children,” said Amy Stanton, Community Outreach Coordinator, RMHC of Mid-Michigan.
