RE/MAX Agents Raise Astounding $220K+ for CMN Hospitals

In a small Maryland town, two RE/MAX agents are making a big impact in the lives of local children.

Candy Meyers and Lisa Wills, both real estate agents with RE/MAX One in La Plata, Maryland, hosted a fundraiser in support of Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) Hospitals as a part of their ongoing Bears of Love charitable initiative. The duo ended up raising nearly $225,000 with a creative “Dunk-a-Hunk” event, an opportunity for the community to band together and give back.

With this year’s record-breaking totals, they were able to not only support Bears of Love but also fund a new cardiovascular ultrasound machine for their local affiliate CMN Hospitals affiliate hospital.

Here’s how the they made it possible.

Bears of Love charity

Meyers founded Bears of Love in 2010 as a meaningful way to support children – and their families – while they undergo treatment at affiliate CMN Hospitals. Bears of Love delivers a care package bag to CMN Hospitals patients to create their own memento. Lisa Wills, a RE/MAX colleague, joined Meyers in 2011 and the pair have continued raising money together for CMN for 12 years.

“Each bag contains an un-stuffed teddy bear, a bag of stuffing and a wishing heart, along with instructions on how to assemble,” Meyers explains. “We are also able to continue our palliative care project – we have a custom teddy bear that can record and play a voice, a song, or even a heartbeat.

“These bags are used by the palliative care team who provide extra support for infants and children with serious illnesses and their families,” she continues. “Most recently, we received a request from the NICU for our palliative care teddy bears so they can be given to mothers who won’t be taking their babies home. Sadly, oftentimes the sound of a baby’s heartbeat is all a mother will come home with.”

While the duo hosts events throughout the year to raise money for Bears of Love, they consider their summer capstone event the greatest way to support the cause.

“My [RE/MAX] Broker/Owner, Mark Davis, gives us unlimited support and always makes sure we have the tools to be successful,” Meyers says.

The Dunk-a-Hunk event

This year, Meyers and Wills settled on a contest-style event dubbed “Dunk-a-Hunk.” Ahead of the big day, members of the community could nominate a local “hunk” via the Bears of Love Facebook page to ultimately be submerged in a dunk tank on the day of the event.

They received 22 nominees, and each were assigned a fundraising link directly tied to the local CMN Hospitals affiliate hospital. Competition then ensued to see which nominee could raise the most money over a 30-day period. The top 10 fundraisers went on to the main event and climbed aboard dunk tanks for a day filled with splashes, smiles, and even more fundraising.

Meyers shares that friends, family, colleagues, and complete strangers joined to donate money and dunk the nominees. Additionally, Meyers and Wills organized an afternoon full of food, a photo booth, DJ, and more. The contestant who raised the most money at the end of the event was designated “Southern Maryland Hunk of the Year.”

“The key to this year’s fundraiser was to come up with something unique. The success came from having each of those 22 individuals competing against each other and raising money simultaneously,” Meyers explains.

In light of the event, Meyers and Wills were able to donate more than 500 teddy bear stuffing kits – also known as “buddy bags.” They were also able to fund a new cardiovascular ultrasound machine, which costs $150,000, and were able to donate $75,000 for autism-specific programs, all for their local CMN Hospitals affiliate.

“Just as our fundraising plans were getting started, we learned of the sudden passing of Xavier Bean. Xavier is the 11 year old son of fellow RE/MAX agent Kimberly Bean. It was important to her to be involved with this years fundraiser as it had a special meaning,” Meyers shares. “There is going to be a plaque bearing Xavier’s name on the [ultrasound] machine to honor his legacy – and CMN [Hospitals] is making that happen,” Meyers shares.

“Lisa and I are very involved in our community and have made it our mission to grow our annual event,” she explains. “This has always been my passion, and when you believe in something, that’s half the battle.”

Impact of the Miracle Network

“RE/MAX has provided us with this wonderful platform through the Miracle Home Program to be involved with our local children’s hospital and to make a difference in a child’s life,” Meyers says.

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

All year long, RE/MAX affiliates find creative ways to give back to CMN Hospitals and choose to participate in the Miracle Home and Miracle Property Program.

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