Boxing Gyms and Gift Baskets

Evergreen, Colo. — Thanksgiving with the Lakota

Kate Mondragon lives in Colorado, but part of her heart is in South Dakota at the Pine Ridge Reservation of the Lakota people. For nearly 15 years, this Broker Associate with RE/MAX Alliance Evergreen has been collecting boxes of food and paper products, then personally delivering the donations to the reservation just in time for Thanksgiving. Pine Ridge is the eighth-largest reservation in the U.S. and among the poorest areas in the country. She has become so well known for her work at Pine Ridge that the area Lakota people call Mondragon “Shate Wasti Wia,” or “Good-Hearted Woman.” Her efforts caught the attention of a Denver TV station that in November named her an “Everyday Hero” in a televised news segment.

Garden City, S.C. — Homes for Haiti

Johnnie Greene donates a portion of her commissions as a Sales Associate with RE/MAX Southern Shores to a worthy cause: building houses for needy families in Haiti. It started in 2012 when Greene learned about a drive to build very basic homes in the poor Caribbean nation. It costs $2,000 per family to build a cinderblock structure with a roof and windows. It sounds modest – and it is – but it’s a far cry from the fragile corrugated metal or scrap wood shacks that house thousands of Haitians. Greene is now on track to meet her 2013 goal of buying one Haitian home each quarter.

Ontario, Calif. — Boxing and a lot more

Rocio and Bernie Valenzuela are big believers in what young people can learn from the sport of boxing. The Broker/Owners of RE/MAX Finest built a boxing gym in the Southern California city where they live and work. Crossroads Boxing is a nonprofit organization that also offers tutoring and mentoring to approximately 20 youths enrolled at the gym. Rocio Valenzuela says she’s hearing from several parents who say their children’s grades and self-esteem have improved since joining the gym.

Pompano Beach, Fla. — Baskets for charities

When she’s not selling real estate with RE/MAX Preferred, odds are Lori Chandler is putting together elaborate baskets for charity auctions. Her creations are big and imaginative, and they’ve helped raise $200,000 for various causes since 1999. The raffle for the pictured basket raised $6,000 and benefited the Ranse Jones Foundation Volleyball Classic for Stroke Awareness. It’s a cause that holds special meaning for Chandler whose mother, Sally, has suffered three debilitating strokes.