Communities across the U.S. and Canada benefit from the philanthropic partnership between EXIT Realty sales professionals and the company’s corporate charitable initiative known as the Spirit of EXIT Dollar-for-Dollar Matching Program. Tami Bonnell, Co-Chair of EXIT Realty Corp. International, today announced that the corporate charitable contributions to-date have reached $6.8 million furthering the company’s commitment in support of its agents’ fundraising efforts.
A portion of every transaction fee received by EXIT Realty Corp. International is applied to charity. Through the Spirit of EXIT Dollar-for-Dollar Matching Program, EXIT Associates can raise money for local, approved, registered charities and apply to have those funds matched from the company’s pool of funds.
“Our associates support charities across a wide spectrum of needs, including medical support and research, children’s services, community and veteran support, animal welfare and more,” said Bonnell.
The pandemic caused many charities to pivot and EXIT associates adapted to meet their needs. “We have worked with EasterSeals for several years now locally. The past two years, they have not been able to host their traditional EasterSeals Telethon where they raise most of their funds. We felt it was time to step up and truly help this amazing cause,” said Kristen Trembinski, Regional Owner of EXIT Realty Northern Ontario and Broker/Co-Owner of EXIT Realty Lake Superior, Brokerage.
Trembinksi and her team hosted their own telethon to raise money generating $5,000 in donations which EXIT’s head office matched for a total of $10,000 assisting EasterSeals’ mission of “helping kids with physical disabilities succeed.”
Sometimes, the fundraising initiatives organized by EXIT associates blossom beyond their wildest dreams. In Colorado, Kristen Spagnoletti, Associate Broker with EXIT Realty DTC, Cherry Creek, Pikes Peak, applied to the Spirit of EXIT program to match the funds she hoped to raise in the Big Ride for WillStrong event she organized in support of WillStrong Cancer Foundation, an organization dedicated to raising money to fund research into high-risk leukemia. “Will Maniatis, age 14, lost his life following a battle with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Will was a friend of my son, and his mother, Claudia, is one of my best friends,” said Spagnoletti. “Before he passed, Will started this foundation to help ensure no other child would have to go through what he did. I wanted to honor his life.”
Through organizing a bike ride, fundraising dinner and silent auction, Spagnoletti hoped to raise $20,000 which EXIT’s head office was proud to match, however $80,328.38 was raised for a total donation of $100,328.38 to WillStrong Cancer Foundation.
“When Kristen launched this initiative for WillStrong, she had hoped to raise enough for the very generous EXIT Realty match, and we would have all considered this a very successful campaign. What unfolded, however, was truly miraculous as we had so many donors step up inspired by the EXIT Realty match and it was the fuel for what we now consider to be an astonishingly amazing fundraiser,” said Claudia Maniatis, Founder and Director of WillStrong Cancer Foundation. “We at WillStrong are so grateful for Kristen’s involvement and energy and for the power of EXIT standing behind her to bring more fundraising success to The Big Ride.”
“At EXIT Realty, we believe in supporting our agents’ ‘why’ – the reason they get up in the morning,” said Bonnell. “The Spirit of EXIT Dollar-for-Dollar Matching Program is a way for them to raise money for the causes that speak to their heart knowing their company is behind them. Potentially every community where an EXIT office exists can be positively impacted. It’s more than a win/win.”
Jim Mazziotti – EXIT Realty Elite of Frisco, Texas
“If there be any truer measure of a man than by what he does, it must be by what he gives.”
―Robert South
I am so proud to be a part of EXIT Realty.