In this economy, perhaps the last people you should expect
philanthropy from are real estate professionals, but a tight-knit
group at Coldwell Banker continues to not only sell homes, but
build them, as well.
In this economy, perhaps the last people you should expect philanthropy from are real estate professionals, but a tight-knit group at Coldwell Banker continues to not only sell homes, but build them, as well.
Swinging hammers for Habitat for Humanity is just one charitable act among a litany performed by the Gilroy real estate team. Fund-raising luncheons, auctions, raffles, food drives, coat collections – the list goes on, and this month Realtor Diane Baty is organizing a Texas hold ’em poker tournament to raise scholarship money for college-bound high school seniors in the area. And all this despite the worst housing market this nation has seen in decades.
“We’re a group working way more hours for way less money, yet we all get together to help the community,” Realtor Lisa Cassara said in a conference room with four co-workers.
For their collective effort, the Coldwell Banker office earned Large Business of the Year honors from the Gilroy Chamber of Commerce.
“The Coldwell Banker team is made up of outstanding people who give generously of their time and resources,” Chamber Executive Director Susan Valenta said. “They have done so much within our community to help improve the lives of others, and as the 2008 Large Business of the Year, they serve as role models for other business professionals. Gilroy is fortunate to have such a caring, dedicated business.”
Quantifying the generosity of the 40 people who work at Coldwell Banker is not easy since such a great deal of their activities involve the collection of clothing and hundreds of pounds of foodstuffs. In addition to food and clothes, Coldwell Banker donated more than $10,000 to various charities last year. Most of the money supported Gilroy’s St. Joseph’s Family Center through several fundraisers spearheaded by Senior Office Assistant Toni Morris. She and other employees also raised $4,000 for Habitat for Humanity one $2 donation at a time, and the group took in $2,500 from last year’s Texas hold ’em poker tournament. Coldwell Banker exceeded their goal for the second year in a row and received a gilded, glass-box-ensconced hammer from the nonprofit home builder as proof.
Baty is organizing this year’s gambling gala and expects 45 players to show up April 24 at Troy’s Bocce Room inside Morgan Hill Bowl, 650 Tennant Station Ave. Proceeds will go toward scholarships for area high school students. Each year for the past five – as long as Baty has been with Coldwell Banker – the company has given $1,000 to two former Gilroy High School students.
Aside from the cash donations St. Joseph’s receives, the benefactor’s executive director, David Cox, also praised Baty and her colleagues for gathering 500 pounds of food last year and collecting dozens of jackets for the nonprofit’s One Warm Coat project. While homeless and low-income families mostly look for coats during the colder months, Cox said Coldwell Banker’s year-round mentality ensures winter-time success.
“They don’t wait until the last minute. They’re constantly planning and preparing,” Cox said, referring to the group’s summer-time Habitat project this year in Morgan Hill that will lead into a concerted can drive as the weather cools.
“The effort’s really extraordinary because everyone there gets into it and participates at every level, which is one of the things we try to instill here at St. Joseph’s,” Cox said.
Throughout the eight years he has been with St. Joseph’s, Cox said a handful of Coldwell employees have gone beyond office-organized giving and volunteered their personal time, as well. But it’s the camaraderie that binds them and reinforces the charitable spirit many said they feel while collecting cans outside of Nob Hill or thanking people who stroll into Coldwell’s office building on Santa Teresa Boulevard near the corner of First Street to donate a toy thanks to the company’s reputation and a banner that sometimes hangs outside the office advertising it as a Toys for Tots drop-off point.
“When you see people bringing in just bags of toys, it’s amazing,” Morris said.
Cassara described as “life changing” her experience with St. Joseph’s.
“We don’t realize, as people who work millions of hours a week, that there are people in our own community who don’t have coats or food,” Cassara said. “It really touches you.”
Cassara also serves as a Chamber of Commerce ambassador along with fellow Realtor Michael Kuhn. The two welcome new businesses and keep in touch with existing ones, which comes in handy when they’re raising money. Managing Broker Chris Ordaz said Coldwell’s charitable success proved “the spirit of the local merchant,” and he pointed to ways other than money that local businesses help out, such as discounted food from the Westside Grill for a luncheon last year.
“Poker tournaments and things like that are fun, but it’s really the other activities that are most rewarding,” Ordaz said as his colleagues nodded their heads. For Ordaz, it’s seeing the faces of the families who often help out on Habitat for Humanity projects, and for Baty, it’s collecting food. Last Thanksgiving, she said, someone dropped off an entire shopping cart full of food.
“Someone left a whole cart of food and walked off with a little bag,” Baty said. “You think everybody out there is cutting back and not being able to afford a lot of food, but people are so generous.”
And it’s not just people who feel Coldwell’s kindness. Morris has encouraged people to donate old towels and blankets for area animal shelters, and with Planning Commissioner Brad Bannister (also a part of the Coldwell family) and other employees involved with committees at the Gilroy Unified School District, the group has plenty of feelers out in the community to generate new ideas. And as more people get involved, Cassara and others said, even more people get involved.
“We’re just a small sampling here in this room,” Cassara said as unseen employees could be heard typing and talking on phones in the adjacent room, some of whom also deserved recognition but were just too busy.
“It’s nice to get an award and recognition in this climate,” Ordaz added with a smile.
For more information on upcoming Coldwell Baker events and how to get involved, contact Diane Baty at (408) 848-7930.
