REALTORS® Are Good Neighbors!
Did you know that REALTORS® volunteer nearly three times more than the typical American? Well they do!
Learn about how some TPCAR REALTOR® Members are giving back to the South Sound Community Below.
TPCAR REALTOR® GIVES BACK TO COMMUNITY THAT HELPED HER
REALTOR® and TPCAR Member Carli Santa-Cruz faced numerous obstacles growing up. From losing her father at the age of 3, to growing up with her mom’s addiction battles, Carli always relied heavily on a village to raise and support her along the way. She was surrounded by strong mentors who stepped up when her mom could not, making a life-long impact on Carli. As an adult, she recognized that many of the successes in her life were made possible by the support and guidance from these individuals.
Carli has been compelled to give back to the community, which led her to Raising Girls. This year, Carli hosted her 2nd Annual School Bag packing event at Raising Girls to help prepare RG for the influx of need as local youth return to school. Carli was joined by volunteers from her Jeep Club and fellow REALTORS® from Windermere Professional Partners and Windermere Chambers Bay, including Tiffani Tainer, Adriann Ford, Teresa Alderson & Quirina Maravilla.
Carli, her team of volunteers, along with local teens, stocked shelves, crushed cardboard for recycling, and packed 503 (!) bags with necessities such as body wash, toothbrushes, and other hygiene products so youth, teens, and young adults in the south sound can feel confident and succeed in school and life.
TPCAR REALTOR® GIVES PEOPLE IN CRISIS A FRESH START
For quite awhile, TPCAR Member and REALTOR® Cathy Torgerson felt God's calling to do something. Something big, something special. And she waited and prayed and waited and prayed until He led her to His exact plan which was expanding Knock Knock Angels to Washington State.
Cathy is a survivor. Cathy has endured years of circumstances that would break most people, and all those circumstances did were build her heart and love for people into something that her friends and family will tell you is larger than life.
Cathy lives to serve. She exemplifies putting others first and genuinely celebrates the others success, which is why her leadership in Knock Knock Angels Washington State will change lives.
Cathy and her team of volunteers will turn an address into a home and make sure survivors have one less thing to worry about.
Originally founded by a Realtor in California, Cathy started the Washington Chapter last year. Knock Knock Angels is a Washington State 501C3 organization whose mission is to assist families coming out of a crisis (homelessness / domestic violence) by completely furnishing their new home with everything they need (couch, beds, tables, kitchen items, bath items and more).
Knock Knock Angels brings a team of volunteers into the home and performs a complete make over to turn their house into a home. This is their way of saying "Welcome to the community. We believe in you!"
Anyone coming out of a crisis can benefit from their work. Cathy is motivated to help others because she understands the power of having a safe home space and she loves supporting others
TPCAR REALTOR® working to HELP PEOPLE ATTAIN HOMEOWNERSHIP
As a young child, REALTOR® Corey Orvold’s family faced housing discrimination when her single father attempted to purchase a home. This single event has been Corey’s driving force to assist others in attaining homeownership.
As a Certified First-Time Homebuyer educator for the Washington State Housing Finance Commission, Corey teaches monthly First Time Homebuyer classes at the Tacoma Urban League (TUL) and monthly home maintenance classes. Together with TUL, Corey works to help more BIPOC members break into real estate and real estate related fields. With the belief that anyone with a dream to own a home can achieve homeownership, Corey is passionate about helping first time and first-generation homebuyers.
As an avid volunteer, Corey shares her time with the Junior League & Rebuilding Together South Sound, and serves on the the South Sound Housing Affordability Partners Advisory. She also serves on TPCAR’s Diversity Committee and Washington REALTORS® DEI Committee. Corey’s service to the community has earned her numerous Volunteer Service Awards.
As a young child, REALTOR® Corey Orvold’s family faced housing discrimination when her single father attempted to purchase a home. This single event has been Corey’s driving force to assist others in attaining homeownership.
As a Certified First-Time Homebuyer educator for the Washington State Housing Finance Commission, Corey teaches monthly First Time Homebuyer classes at the Tacoma Urban League (TUL) and monthly home maintenance classes. Together with TUL, Corey works to help more BIPOC members break into real estate and real estate related fields. With the belief that anyone with a dream to own a home can achieve homeownership, Corey is passionate about helping first time and first-generation homebuyers.
As an avid volunteer, Corey shares her time with the Junior League & Rebuilding Together South Sound, and serves on the the South Sound Housing Affordability Partners Advisory. She also serves on TPCAR’s Diversity Committee and Washington REALTORS® DEI Committee. Corey’s service to the community has earned her numerous Volunteer Service Awards.
TPCAR REALTOR® working to save local historic school
In May 2022, REALTOR®, Designated Broker, and TPCAR Director, Julie Collison of Collison Realty learned that the 115 year old Parkland School building that is listed with the Pierce County Landmarks and Historical Preservation Commission as a historical building, was in danger of being removed from the Landmarks list and would be demolished.
The Parkland community where Julie lives and operates her business, had an immediate reaction and reacted by banding together forming a grass roots group. They attended the local county council meetings and the local county historical preservation meetings and as a result, kept the building on the historical list and blocked the demolition. Pierce County Councilmembers, Jani Hitchen and Marty Campbell as well as State Senator Melanie Morgan were contacted and became involved in the process.
The Parkland Community Association was formed and created a 501c3 to help to save the building. There is currently a Purchase and Sale agreement with the owners to purchase the building for $2,850,000.00 which has a closing date of November 3, 2023.
Julie Collison has been there since the very first meeting and is currently on the board of directors of the Parkland Community Association working to help raise the money needed to purchase the building and help to turn it into a well needed community center. Julie has been helping the Parkland community for many years and this current issue is dear to her heart as her late husband attended Parkland school. Julie is helping to save the school because she cares about her local neighborhood and believes the Parkland School could be used as a place to meet and hang out with neighbors and learn new things and maybe watch a play or use the gym for a ball game. There are many possibilities for a structure of this size.
Thank you for being a Champion of Parkland School and your community, Julie!
To learn more about the efforts to save Parkland School, visit www.saveparklandschool.org
TPCAR REALTORS® and Affiliates Help Build Homes
On Friday, June 9th, TPCAR Members rolled up their sleeves to participate in TPCAR's Home Build Day for Habitat for Humanity of Tacoma-Pierce County. This annual event helps create affordable and sustainable homes for modest-income families .
This year, REALTOR® volunteers Jenah Mahan-Williams, of Gateway Real Estate, Nisha Smith of John L. Scott, Byron Pullen of Windermere Chambers Bay, and Gabriel Hofer, along with Affiliate Jeff Wells of Destiny Home Inspections spent the day at Madison Meadows painting and installing cabinets.
Coldwell Banker Bain REALTORS® Pick up the Park
Several agents from Coldwell Banker Bain, including Lauren Honan, Whitney Ellis, and Trisha Huerta, participated in park clean up efforts at Paradise Pond Park in University Place on Earth Day. This event was hosted by the City of University Place and University Place Waste and Refuse. Volunteers and family members spent the morning picking up litter and spreading beauty bark for a miles worth of walking trails around the park. Their work shows that REALTORS® are good neighbors!
REALTOR® Donates Time to Fight Sex Trafficking
Scarlet Road is a non profit in the community of Bremerton. They are the first responders to victims of sex trafficking. Every year Scarlet Road hosts a Gala to gain support and awareness of their program. For the last two years, REALTOR® Angelyna Welch of Keller Williams West Sound has volunteered her time to to help put on this auction.
"As a former wedding and event coordinator I love giving back my time and energy to causes I can stand behind while utilizing my talents. I also have a heart for survivors, being a victim of domestic abuse myself, I know that life can be restored with the right people and programs in place," states Angelyna.
Realtor Member Sharon Chambers-Gordon Receives National Recognition Fighting Period Poverty!
For 22 years, the Good Neighbor Awards has recognized Realtors® who make an extraordinary impact on their communities through volunteer work. The five individuals named as this year’s National Association of Realtors® Good Neighbor Award winners serve as an example of how Realtors® make their communities a better place to live, work and raise a family.
Sharon Chambers-Gordon lined her garage shelves with so many menstrual pads, body washes, and shampoo bottles that her daughter’s friend asked, “Is your mom into extreme couponing?”
That wasn’t it.
Chambers-Gordon, a sales associate with Windermere Abode in Lakewood, Wash., runs a nonprofit, Raising Girls, which provides bags of menstrual products to young girls who otherwise can’t access them. By reducing “period poverty,” Chambers-Gordon aims to decrease the odds that girls who can’t afford $10 boxes of tampons will miss school or extracurricular activities to avoid an embarrassing accident. Typically, initiatives like the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program do not provide sanitary items.
Chambers-Gordon also strives to make girls feel special by adding personal touches to their care bags, such as handwritten inspirational cards. “You don’t know me, but know that I love you,” one note read.
Congratulations to Sharon, who will receive a $2500 grant for Raising Girls!
Over the course of one weekend, TPCAR members raised over $3000 to purchase supplies for displaced Afghani refugees being relocated to Washington. All funds raised were used to purchase bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen kits. As there will be an ongoing need, you can continue to contribute to this fund by visiting our donation website here.
Read here about Realtor Jana Ross's experience going Over the Edge of the Hotel Murano to raise money for Habitat for Humanity!