COVID-19 may have changed Windermere’s plans to serve the community, but it sure didn’t cancel them.
After it became clear its annual June Community Service Day wouldn’t be able to proceed as planned, Windermere mobilized a fundraising effort to meet a timely community need. Thousands of dollars were raised company-wide to benefit local food banks. The Spokane area offices, including the one based in Liberty Lake, raised money for 2nd Harvest Food Bank, looking to capitalize on a $5,400 local match offered by the corporate office.
“We’ve already surpassed our goal as of yesterday, and we have a week to go,” Brooke Carey announced in April. Carey is the Managing Broker and Branch Manager of Windermere Liberty Lake. By the time the dust settled on the campaign, nearly $15,000 was donated.
Most years, Windermere closes its offices for one day each year to help make a difference in local communities. The Community Service Day tradition reflects Windermere’s spirit of commitment to the areas where the Windermere teams live, work and play. On this day, all offices in Spokane County — and over 350 offices and 6,500 agents network-wide — close in order to team up and tackle a project in the community to help others.
A recent beneficiary of Windermere’s Community Service day was Spokane Valley Partners, where more than 100 local Windermere agents, crew members and owners descended for a day to paint, clean, do yard work, build and deliver donations.
“We were there all day, and the transformation was remarkable,” Carey said.
While financial donations are also a big part of Windermere’s philosophy, Carey loves how the tradition allows everyone from office staff, to brand-new Realtors, to successful agents a chance to spend the day working side-by-side giving their time to something that matters.
“There are a lot of people who aren’t as fortunate, so it’s kind of a no-brainer, really,” Carey said.
Carey said it’s also gratifying that a portion of every Windermere sales transaction is contributed to the Windermere Foundation to invest back into the community.
In 2019, the local Windermere offices donated $41,000 to 10 different organizations. Carey said a significant portion of that total, $12,000, went toward new boots, gloves, shoes and socks for more than 250 low-income students selected by area school counselors. This was made possible through a partnership with Big 5 Sporting Goods in Spokane Valley.
Additionally, the annual Windermere Marathon — which starts at Rocky Hill Park in Liberty Lake — raised an additional $5,000 for the Windermere Foundation to put into the community. This year’s event was postponed to Sept. 6.
“There are so many communities and organizations that need our help,” Carey said. “In partnership with the connections we have in our community, we are committed to help wherever we can.”
NOTE: A version of this article first appeared in the 2020 Liberty Lake Yearbook.
