Continental Realty Donates 1500 Pairs of Shoes, Money to Haiti
Continental Realty Corporation has collected more than 1500 pairs of shoes to be distributed to Haiti through the Soles4Soles organization, an international charity that donates footwear to needy people around the globe. Separately, the real estate firm has donated $15,000 to the American Red Cross that is earmarked specifically for Haitian residents.
The company-wide effort gained traction from the efforts of one employee - Charmaygne Litz - who works in the legal department of the company. Charmaygne, familiar with the international charity work performed by Soles4Soles, also knew that Continental Realty was a passionate contributor to worthy causes and she decided to marry the two groups together.
"With twenty-four apartment communities in our portfolio containing more than 15,000 residents, we realized that we could quickly communicate with and mobilize the efforts of a significant amount of people," explained Anne Angel, Marketing and Training Director for Continental Realty Corporation. "After distributing a flyer asking residents and employees to donate shoes benefiting the Haitian cause, the footwear started to quickly flow in. And -- quite remarkably - the outpouring has not stopped. The contributions also came from adjacent apartment communities and word about the effort spread into area companies," she added.
A resident living at Padonia Village Apartments talked about the shoe drive at a local technology company where she works, and more than 300 pairs were quickly donated. Firms "stepped in" in other ways as the Von Paris Moving and Storage company donated boxes for use in the shipping process.
The company delivered the shoes, which is comprised of an assortment of new and gently-used footwear, to Haitian last week. The monetary donation was collected exclusively from Continental Realty employees in the local area and 100% matched by the company.
"The response to our call for help was swift and over-whelming. The most gratifying element of the collection effort was the demonstration of the human spirit, combined with the passion and enthusiasm people showed for this project. We were especially appreciative of the volume of new shoes we received, with some still in their original boxes," Angel added.
"This effort is clearly an example of how the vision of one person can make a significant difference throughout a large organization," explained JM Schapiro, Chief Executive Officer of Continental Realty. "Our corporate culture allowed us to embrace a good idea and, most importantly, rally others to help those in need. It was amazing to see how the idea spread from our company to the apartment communities and onto other area organizations. We have always believed in giving back to the community and were thrilled to be able to do our small part to help those devastated by the earthquake," he added.
