When residential Realtor Amy Considine of Considine Homes, out of Keller Williams Realty Wellington, was planning a client appreciation party at Alchemy Juice Co. & Market in West Palm Beach, where her guests could enjoy appetizers and cocktails, she decided to raise money for a great local cause.
She came up with the idea to do drink ticket exchanges. “In exchange for bringing a donation for Grandma’s Place, then they get the cocktail,” Considine explained.
In record time, Considine shifted her client appreciation party into a fundraiser, and exceeded her goal of raising $5,000 for the Royal Palm Beach-based nonprofit.
The fundraiser and client appreciation party took place Thursday, April 28, and nearly 40 of Considine’s clients and friends gathered to mingle and support Grandma’s Place.
“I had a lot of people pulling together to help me reach my goal,” Considine said, noting that clients who couldn’t attend, as well as members of a business group she’s in, BNI Summit, contributed.
Considine learned about Grandma’s Place last year and wanted to help the organization.
“I just love children so much, and I thought it was a beautiful charity, and the fact that it’s in Royal Palm Beach, and I hadn’t heard of it before,” she said.
Considine realized that others likely weren’t aware of the work Grandma’s Place does, and she wanted to help share its story.
Grandma’s Place is an emergency shelter that provides care for children who have been abused or neglected. It also has a family support program to provide free respite care for children up to 12 years old.
Considine invited Grandma’s Place Executive Director Roxanne Jacobs to speak at the fundraiser and explain what they provide to children and caregivers in the community.
“I think it’s such a beautiful mission,” Considine said. “I just wanted to bring some attention to them and help them because I have a heart for the foster children.”
Bringing awareness to Grandma’s Place, Jacobs said, is a key to being able to serve the community as a small nonprofit.
“The awareness that it gives Grandma’s Place, you can’t put a price on that, because still, a lot of people don’t know us, and if they do know us, they only think foster care,” Jacobs said. “They don’t realize that we have another program, the respite care for caregivers of children with disabilities.”
Considine wants her own children to learn to be charitable members of the community.
“I like to incorporate my kids whenever possible so they can see what’s out there and how to contribute to society,” she said.
On Tuesday, May 3, Considine and her son Phoenix, who raided his own piggy bank to contribute, presented a check to Jacobs for $5,275 at Grandma’s Place. Considine also pledged to give a donation to Grandma’s Place for every real estate closing she does.
“It’s amazing for a one-night event,” Jacobs said. “It was phenomenal.”
Jacobs was touched by Phoenix’s contribution when the Considines took a tour of Grandma’s Place.
The money could provide food for the children, paper towels and supplies for about two months between trips to Costco, Publix and Aldi.
“All the funding we get from Palm Beach County, Youth Services and ChildNet only amounts to about 50 percent of our operating expenses, so we truly have to raise the other 50 percent from the community,” Jacobs said. “Without people like Amy doing this, we might still be in business, but the quality of care that we provide wouldn’t be there, and I wouldn’t have all the wonderful employees that I have right now.”
To learn more about how to support Grandma’s Place, visit www.grandmasplacepb.org.
Considine is part of the Keller Williams Luxury Division and is available for residential realty needs, helping buyers, sellers and investors. She can be reached at amyconsidinefl@gmail.com or (561) 281-5998.
