4 Creative Ways RE/MAX Agents Help Their Communities

Real estate is a profession rooted in community. RE/MAX agents prioritize community values, finding ways to give back to those in need during the holiday season and beyond.

From raising funds to hosting charitable events to participating in the annual Global RE/MAX Week – a networkwide week of giving back – RE/MAX agents are constantly looking to make a positive impact on the places in which they live and work.

Check out how RE/MAX agents and offices have recently supported their local communities.

1. Supporting Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals

Throughout the holiday season, RE/MAX agents and offices go above and beyond to support their local affiliate Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) Hospitals.

During their annual holiday party, RE/MAX Select One in Huntington Beach, California, raised nearly $3,000 in gift cards for teenage patients receiving treatment at the local member hospital of CMN Hospitals.

RE/MAX Defined in Rochester, Michigan hosted a photo shoot with Santa Claus to raise money for their local member hospital of CMN Hospitals.

RE/MAX Concepts in Lincoln, Nebraska hosted a holiday-themed photo shoot to raise money for their local member hospital of CMN Hospitals, too.

Liz Stephenson, a broker with RE/MAX Ultimate Professionals in Shorewood, Illinois, collected toy donations for patients at nearby Lurie’s Children’s Hospital. And her generosity doesn’t stop when the holiday season ends. Stephenson is a Miracle Agent and participates in the RE/MAX Miracle Home and Miracle Property Program, through which agents donate to their nearby affiliate CMN Hospital after each closed transaction.

Since 1992, RE/MAX has been a proud partner of CMN Hospitals, with RE/MAX agents supporting and donating to more than 170 CMN affiliate hospitals across the U.S. and Canada. During the 30-year partnership, RE/MAX agents and offices have donated over $185 million to CMN Hospitals.

2. Taking part in community events

Each year, John Gscheidmeier, Broker/Owner of RE/MAX Service First in Waukesha, Wisconsin, hosts a RE/MAX float in the annual Waukesha Christmas Parade to gather alongside the community.

After witnessing tragedy firsthand during the 2021 Waukesha Christmas Parade, Gscheidmeier partnered with other local RE/MAX offices to have a bigger – and more impactful – presence in the 2022 parade. Dozens of RE/MAX agents proudly marched while accompanied by a float boasting a RE/MAX cold air balloon and three RE/MAX hot air balloon baskets.

3. Hosting meaningful gatherings

RE/MAX Rise Executives in Kingston, Ontario, hosted a Winter Festival to raise funds for the BGC South East West End Community Centre, a place that provides safe spaces for local youth to participate in recreational activities. Throughout the day, the fun included ice skating, carriage rides, balloon animals, holiday movies, and more.

In November, Dennis Terrell, Broker/Owner of RE/MAX Dynamic Agents in Minnesota, hosted his fifth annual Hog Roast for Heroes event to support local veterans. During the event, members of the community came together for lunch – which was complimentary for veterans – and raised $31,000 USD for the South Central Beyond the Yellow Ribbon program that supports military families. Since 2018, Terrell’s efforts have raised over $110,000 USD.

4. Providing food for those in need

Some RE/MAX agents dedicate time to tackle hunger within their communities.

In 2019, Dennis Curtin, whose Missouri-based RE/MAX Regional Services owns RE/MAX franchising rights in seven states, established Mimi’s Pantry, a nonprofit food bank that operates like a grocery store to ensure a dignified experience for anyone facing food insecurity. Now a primary source of food for many members of his community, Mimi’s Pantry partners with large-scale grocers to gather food, grows produce onsite, and has fed more than 50,000 people since its inception.

Heather Griesser LaPierre, an agent with RE/MAX Preferred Realtors in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, founded the nonprofit organization Kids Against Hunger Philadelphia, a member of the international Kids Against Hunger network. In the past year – in addition to fighting hunger in Greater Philadelphia – Griesser LaPierre and her team also packed 200,000 meals for Ukrainian refugees in Poland.

For their charitable efforts all year round, Curtin and Griesser LaPierre were both recipients of the 2022 NAR Good Neighbor Award.

Looking for more ways to give back this year? Check out what RE/MAX agents around the world did during the 2022 Global RE/MAX Week.

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