By Mary Driscoll, Sales Representative with EXIT Realty At Home
Know what gourmet ice treats, a food truck offering authentic Mexican dishes, and a golf scramble have in common? They were all selected by associates of EXIT Realty At Home to raise money for an East Lansing homeless shelter as part of the Spirit of EXIT’s Dollar-for-Dollar Matching Program.
For all of us at EXIT Realty At Home, there’s nothing more important than a home. It’s what we do; give premier assistance to property buyers and sellers to achieve their real estate goals. Homes are our oxygen, our purpose, our very brand. The reality of being HOME-less, is completely counter to our mission and is a devastating contradiction to the pride, peace, security, and harmony that a home ideally provides.
So, when Heather Driscoll, Broker/Owner of EXIT Realty At Home, introduced the 2022 Spirit of EXIT program to her office, everyone quickly offered many well-deserving charities as candidates. Enter Haven House, an East Lansing, MI shelter founded in 1983 whose mission is to provide temporary housing for homeless families on their path to a more stable future. After learning that in 2021 the organization sheltered 74 families and provided housing services to another 63 families, Haven House was a hands down winner.
Our office team chose the activities and selected the vendors best suited for summer food, fun and fundraising. El Oasis food truck, an area favorite for fresh delicious Mexican foods, caught “the Spirit” by matching sales during EXIT’s promotion. And what’s better than a cool, unique and satisfying treat on a hot summer day than a tropical shaved ice cup from Kona Ice? Answer: several! Kona Ice also doubled our sales. The fundraising effort culminated on the golf course with a Haven House outing hole sponsorship and a “Great Gift Baskets” raffle.
A portion of every transaction fee received by EXIT Realty Corp. International is applied to its charitable fund. Through the Spirit of EXIT Dollar-for-Dollar Matching 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. Heather and her team raised $1,500, which EXIT’s head office was proud to match, for a total donation of $3,000 to Haven House.
“We truly appreciate the support you have garnered for Haven House, including contributions donated by EXIT Realty at Home associates and those who attended the fundraising events you organized. There are so many other ways you give back to the community, and we are grateful for all you do to help local families,” said Gabriel Biber, Executive Director of Haven House.
