COEUR d'ALENE - By all accounts, there was a lot to do.

Mow the spacious lawn.

Trim the unruly bushes.

Paint the aging buildings.

"We have 15 acres, and for us to keep that land as we like, is so time-consuming and expensive and laborious," said Tinka Schaffer, agency support director at Children's Village of Coeur d'Alene.

Luckily, an army of Realtors and neighborly volunteers came to the rescue on Friday. For seven hours, about 120 people spruced up the Children's Village grounds, participating in the Windermere/Coeur d'Alene Realty Community Service Day.

"It's really fun. This is our way of thanking Children's Village for the work they do all year," said Don "Pepper" Smock, broker and owner of Windermere/Coeur d'Alene.

The nonprofit village provides a safe, nurturing home for local children who have been abused, neglected or are homeless, according to its website. Up to 22 residents may live at the village at any given time.

Realtors provided hundreds of labor hours, Smock said. Divided into seven teams, they washed the floors, cleaned the rain gutters, built new shelves and repaired children's bicycles.

One crew built a playhouse for the kids.

The village was packed with workers, all doing their part.

"It's like the most amazing little busy-bee place here," Schaffer said Friday, while the work was ongoing. "And it's saving us thousands of dollars.

Every year for the past 15, Windermere employees have spent a full day working on community service projects, Smock said. In all but two of those years, the Realtors have gathered at The Children's Village.

"It's the Windermere way, to give back," Smock added. "Do well by doing good, if you will."

Last year, Windermere donated $56,000 to area nonprofits, he added.

Realtor Rich Dussell led a team of 18 workers. Swarming all over the village, the team ran lawnmowers, whacked weeds and cut the bushes.

"It's beautiful," Dussell said. "(The village) provides such a service to the community. It's a wonderful thing."

The biggest project this year was building shelf units for storage, he added.

With Windermere providing annual maintenance and cleanup, village staff can focus primarily on the children in their care, Dussell said. It lessens the burden, both financially and physically.

"We really transformed that place," Smock said. "We love The Children's Village so much. And they really need the work done."