The past few months have introduced a vast amount of challenges across the globe brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. Amid the chaos, KW agents have stood resolute, rising above fear and uncertainty to meet the growing needs of their communities. These everyday heroes have given with abundance, reflecting the culture of compassion that is alive and well at Keller Williams.
Food Delivery to the Frontlines
In Chicago, Illinois, the culture committee at the KW Chicago-O’Hare market center has been hard at work delivering food to the healthcare staff at Resurrection Hospital. To deepen their impact, food is purchased from a local restaurant struggling to keep its doors open. This effort follows years of hard work to alleviate food insecurity for the city’s most vulnerable populations.
“On Veteran’s Day, we pack and deliver meals to local organizations that support veterans,” says culture committee member Bill Kanatas.
One RED Day – Keller Williams global day of service – agents packed 50,000 meals. They volunteer regularly at Feed6 – an organization co-founded by Kanatas. “With their help, we’ve been able to pack and deliver nearly 5 million meals.”
To NYC, With Love
With over 343,000 reported cases, New York has been regarded as one of the states hardest hit by the COVID-19 outbreak. In response, KW agents from across the United States have showered the city’s market centers with resources and support.
“We’ve received masks, gloves, and handwritten notes,” shares Carol Castle, productivity coach at the NYC Queens/Jackson Heights market center. “Our team stays in constant connection, checking up on our agents and community members to lift one another up. These tokens of kindness go a long way.”
Donations are distributed to agents, clients and community members throughout the city by market center leaders.
“To keep up with the shifting needs, we do constant outreach through Zoom and phone calls. We want people to know we’re here for them,” shares Jessica Mileto, team leader for the Jackson Heights market center. “Our agents are doing the same thing, too. They are selfless, always asking how they can help others.”
Providing Hope to the Homeless
In Kansas City, Missouri, homeless residents have struggled to access food, shelter, and life-saving interventions that were available prior to the pandemic.
“Our CEO met with a number of homeless organizations, and some were going to have to shut their doors because they didn’t know how to operate with the virus,” says Mark Solomon, KW agent, and founder of the Veterans Community Project – an organization which has served over 6,000 veterans at their outreach center and housed 56 in 2019.
“We decided to bring our military mindset and lead logistics to help serve people awaiting testing, unable to access resources. We couldn’t see an at-risk population being placed more at-risk because of the way we function.”
A Navy veteran and recipient of Realtor Magazine’s Good Neighbor Award, Solomon knows how difficult accessing resources can be. So fueled by its mission to “support every man and woman who took an oath for our country,” the Veterans Community Project has expanded the scope of their services to offer case management and financial assistance to any veteran impacted by crisis. Additionally, the organization delivers 1,700 meals per day to agencies providing relief across the metro area.
“We’ve worked with our corporate partners to cook and deliver 45,330 meals with five volunteers and staff members per day over the last 30 days. We’re also partnering with local law enforcement and their social workers to provide meals to families in need,” shares Solomon. “Our network is incredible. We are proud to be a part of people who see a need and act, and I’m grateful to be a part of a company who puts service above everything.”
For more powerful examples of KW culture in action, click here.