Big day for Windermere giveaway
Coeur d'Alene Press | UPDATED 8 years, 10 months AGO
LISA JAMES/Press Casa director, KJ Torgerson, center, thanks Windermere Real Estate Agents and leaders of local nonprofits gathered at Windermere's Coeur d'Alene office Friday morning for the distribution of $40,000 to various nonprofits.
LISA JAMES/Press Windermere Real Estate Agents and leaders of local nonprofits gathered at Windermere's Coeur d'Alene office Friday morning for the distribution of $40,000 to various nonprofits.
LISA JAMES/Press Rathdrum Lions Club director Lonnie Morse describes how their organization is helping to feed local school children in need as he accepts a donation from the Windermere Foundation at Windermere's Coeur d'Alene office Friday morning.
LISA JAMES/Press Windermere Real Estate Agents and leaders of local nonprofits listen at Windermere's Coeur d'Alene office Friday morning as recipients of the Windmere's Foundation donations describe the needs their nonprofits aim to address.
LISA JAMES/PressMembers of Avant Coeur warm up on the balance beam during the first day of the 16th annual Great West Gym Fest at the Coeur d'Alene Resort and Event Center on Thursday. The event, hosted by Avant Coeur Gymnastics, brings together young gymnasts from over 40 different gyms in the West, to compete in the uneven bars, floor exercises, balance beam and the vault.
LISA JAMES/Press Windermere Real Estate Agents and leaders of local nonprofits gathered at Windermere’s Coeur d’Alene office Friday morning for the distribution of $40,000 to various community groups.
By DEVIN HEILMAN
Staff Writer
COEUR d’ALENE — Windermere Real Estate agents must have been very busy last year, because Friday marked a milestone in their philanthropic endeavors.
The Windermere Foundation distributed nearly $40,000 to a diverse array of community nonprofits, representatives of which met in the Windermere office in the morning to receive their funds.
"This is the most we've ever given away at once," said Windermere Foundation president Loretta Reed. "We're just so excited to be able to do this."
Windermere agents donate money to the Windermere Foundation every time they close a sale. The foundation has been collecting these donations and distributing funds for 21 years.
Owner and foundation board member Midge Smock said they also spend time fundraising, "which we like to do, we're a little crazy that way." She said the grand total of funds given away so far is close to $1 million.
"We have been in the top 10 of all Windermere offices nationwide for giving back to our community," Smock said. "I’ve been asked to give presentations to other offices within Windermere about how we are so successful, but it comes down to the generous agents in our offices and the incredible community we serve."
These funds will help in a number of ways — hungry kids will have backpacks full of food to take home thanks to the Rathdrum Lions backpack program, a strained budget at Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) will have some breathing room as it provides services for kids and families in crisis and dual-enrolled North Idaho College students will catch a bit of a break — to name a few.
Specialized Needs Recreation and the Special Olympics were among the recipients. Their portions of the grants will help their missions to engage special needs individuals in community events and keep them involved in different activities.
"It makes me tear up as the mom because they mean so much to us and it's great when we can see in the community that they mean so much to others," said Deena Kirsebom, who has two sons involved in the Special Olympics and SNR. "It does take the community. It takes a village, it takes everybody doing their part."