ERA Real Estate has announced the results of its national #GivingTuesdayERA campaign, which aims to unite ERA® offices worldwide in support of various charities and causes. This year, the company encouraged support of national nonprofit organization Toys for Tots, a program run by the United States Marine Corps Reserve which distributes toys to children whose parents cannot afford to buy them gifts for Christmas.
ERA’s corporate office, six international affiliates and more than half of ERA Real Estate’s affiliated domestic offices—representing more than 7,500 affiliated agents—participated in the campaign. Those who collaborated with Toys for Tots collected more than 4,300 toys.
Established in 1947, Toys for Tots is the U.S. Marine Corps’ premier community action program. A national program with a local touch, the charity offers toy collection and distribution programs in most major market areas and across all 50 states. For over 70 years, Toys for Tots has distributed an annual average of 18 million toys to seven million children in need.
Georgia-based brokerage ERA Hirsch Real Estate’s team collected over 600 donations for Toys for Tots, partnering up—in true #TeamERA fashion—with several local organizations, including the Boys and Girls Club of Bulloch County. The brokerage advertised the campaign through a combination of email blasts, local newspaper ads, marquee signs and their company Facebook page. The support they received was so overwhelming that donations piled up to reach their office ceiling.
ERA American Real Estate, based in Florida, also supported the Toys for Tots initiative, collecting an astounding 3,000 toys, 46 bikes and more than $500 in cash donations. Additionally, the brokerage raised $4,000 in their annual Healing Paws Christmas tree auction, whose efforts go towards helping pair 9/11 combat veterans who struggle with PTSD and other trauma disorders with certified, local rescue service dogs.
ERA Central Realty Group, based in Bordentown, N.J., chose to support Providence House, which provides safe houses for victims of domestic violence. The brokerage collected over 250 items for families in crisis including toys and gifts, towels, robes and basic household items.
Every year the agents at ERA OakCrest Realty in Winchester, Va., adopt a family through a local charity that supports the schools in their area. This year they supported a family of five children, ranging in age from 10 months to 17 years old. Not only were they able to provide two sets of clothing for each child, including shoes, they also donated their wish list needs of bedding, toys, art supplies, kitchen and food items, grocery gift cards and a family game night basket. They also adopted two young boys who received clothing, winter gear and their wish list items.
Six ERA international affiliates also participated in the #GivingTuesdayERA campaign. Brokerages ERA Klerksdorp, ERA Pretoria East and ERA Bronkhorstspruit of South Africa raised money for families in need, offered donations to the residents of a local drug rehabilitation center, and completed a neighborhood cleanup, respectively. Dutch affiliate ERA Makelaardij Amerstreek donated toys and children’s clothes to a local charity, The Oosterhout Foundation, which they have been supporting for three years.
In 2018, ERA held its first official #GivingTuesdayERA campaign, Feed the Need. Through Feed the Need, ERA collected more than 53,506 pounds of non-perishable food items, the equivalent of 44,588 meals, to fill local food pantries across the nation in advance of the holiday season.
“The #GivingTuesdayERA initiative is one that demonstrates the power of the ERA brand, as well as the company’s dedication to a culture of collaboration and giving,” says Kim Luckie, director of Marketing & Demand Generation, ERA American Real Estate. “Our brokerage and the surrounding community continue to show outstanding support for our hometown and ERA through this annual program. It is one of the many reasons we are proud to be a part of this outstanding brand and network.”
“Each year, we at #TeamERA are blown away by the generosity of our network on #GivingTuesdayERA,” says Stephanie Reyna, national vice president of Growth & Engagement, ERA Real Estate. “Our affiliates care deeply about their communities, and this initiative is a chance for all of us at the brand to rally together to make a difference in the communities in which we live and serve.”
“#GivingTuesdayERA is a wonderful opportunity for ERA-affiliated brokers and independent agents to demonstrate their creativity and flexibility in giving back to their communities,” says Rich DeNicola, chief operating officer, ERA Real Estate. “In true ERA fashion, this program gives our affiliated brokers a choice in how they participate. In addition to donating toys to support families in need over the holidays, many brokerages have chosen to donate to causes or charities that are significant to and directly impact their local neighborhoods.”
For more information, please visit www.era.com.
