RED Day, which stands for Renew, Energize and Donate is Keller Williams Realty’s annual day of service. Each year on the second Thursday of May, associates are encouraged to spend the day away from their businesses, serving worthy organizations and causes in their communities. It’s hard to imagine the largest real estate company in the world shutting down for a day of service, but that’s what we did!
Yesterday The Weeks Team along with twenty-five other Keller Williams Realty Associate Partner agents, sponsors and family members joined in serving Matthew 25 Ministries. For many it was an eye opening experience. While Matthew 25 Ministries is a Blue Ash based charity, their compassion is felt all over the world.
In addition to helping sort donated clothing and supplies for distribution; the team learned the history of this major humanitarian and disaster relief organization. When a disaster strikes (tornado, earth quake, flood…) Matthew 25 Ministries is ready to ship critically needed first-aid and personal care items, food, clothing and more. The organization also provides much needed supplies to the poorest of the poor, locally, nationally and internationally,
As real estate agents we were particularly interested in learning how Matthew 25 provides proper housing and sanitary conditions to impoverished families living in rural Nicaragua. These houses are completed with a protective coat of paint from the Rainbow Paint Reblending Program. The program rescues and reuses leftover latex paint, mixing it together to create a high-quality paint. This Rainbow Paint helps low-budget nonprofits, schools and public facilities complete maintenance, rehab and upgrade projects at a low cost. It also reduces the amount of hazardous waste being deposited in landfills, public waterways and sewer systems.
If you are interested in donating leftover LATEX paint, these are the requirements:
1. Oil-based paint, combustible paint, or stain will not be accepted. They can only accept LATEX paint.
2. Only 1 gallon or 5 gallon cans of LATEX paint will be accepted.
3. The paint must be in its original container with the original label. Containers without original labels will not be accepted.
4. Empty cans or nearly empty cans will not be accepted.
For more information on Matthew 25 Ministries, how to volunteer or donate goods, please check out their website http://www.m25m.org. Matthew 25 Ministries is located in Blue Ash – 11060 Kenwood Rd. Their phone number is 513-793-6256.
First we planned on two 16’ foot PODS being able to sit in our two car driveway. No one told me the POD mover needed 3’ clearance around the POD. (The process for getting them on and off their delivery trucks is interesting. They have this structure that looks a lot like a four-post bed frame that has all sorts of hydraulic lifts that allows the driver to walk the POD into place and raise/lower it.) So our first punt was to put one POD in the driveway and the other on the street. We prayed no one would complain and the police would not site us.
Two very polite and eager to help young men showed up a little earlier than their contracted time to help us load. They worked tirelessly for the entire 8 hours loading our PODs. They never complained, thanked us repeatedly for having things ready, and in the end actually said the job was fun! It took them more time than we expected but those PODs were loaded from top to bottom, front to back. I feel confident that our things will weather the ride to and from the storage facility just fine.
e did it. The house is officially on the market. We nervously await buyers’ reactions. I was a little sentimental planting the For Sale sign in the yard. I flashed back 19 years and saw our young family. This is the house where the kids’ childhood memories were made. I’ll never forget the first morning I put the older two on the school bus and accidently locked myself outside with my 1-year-old inside!
Jon Weeks Team 