By Jessica Low, Broker/Owner of EXIT Realty Home & Ranch in Durango, CO
On August 19th, 2023, six, local celebrities from Pagosa Springs, CO competed in a dance competition to collect the most votes in an incredible event called Dancing with the Pagosa Stars! These generous celebrities are all people who are recognized as leaders in the community. They partnered with professional coaches from Pagosa Springs and Durango to present a dazzling night of dancing and fun. Voters were able to support their favorite dancers by voting with each vote costing $1.
All funds raised through the event benefitted Seeds of Learning, an early childhood education center that makes sure that no child is turned away due to a parent’s inability to pay tuition. They are a registered nonprofit and rely on fund raising events and donations in order to operate, as over 80% of the children are on a sliding scale tuition. The funds raised at the event assist in funding just a portion of their operating costs including education, equipment, food, maintenance, etc. They serve 58+ families currently.
The contestants were paired with dance coaches; my coach was John Gillam, who choreographed and taught me a dance that we performed the night of the fundraiser. We campaigned in town, throughout the REALTOR® community, and on social media. We hope that this gives people another reason to look at EXIT.
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. Jessica and her team hoped to raise $5,000, which EXIT’s head office was proud to match, however they greatly exceeded their goal and raised an astounding $26,223.05 for a total donation of $31,223.05 to Seeds of Learning.
“The total amount raised for Seeds of Learning was just over $228,000. Thank you to all the people who donated to this wonderful organization and to all of the celebrities who donated their time to put on this amazing show. This type of fundraiser truly shows the strength of a community,” said Michelle Cusick, Executive Director, Seeds of Learning.
