Onboard Informatics has named RealtyUSA, one of the largest independent real estate companies in upstate New York, the winner of its Charity Giving Contest recognizing community-based efforts around the 2012 holiday season. As the contest winner, RealtyUSA selected the West Seneca Community Food Pantry as its charity of choice to receive a $250 donation from Onboard. The Food Pantry, which operates behind St. David’s Episcopal Church in West Seneca, N.Y., serves 120 to 150 needy families every month.
RealtyUSA’s West Seneca branch won the Charity Giving Contest with its second annual Winter Wonderland. The event, held at the branch’s office location, invited the local community to get their picture taken with Santa Claus and also provided face painting and arts and crafts. The price of admission to the event was a non-perishable item of food, which was later donated back to the community. RealtyUSA’s goal was to help those in need while creating a calm and relaxing environment for parents to spend time with their children. “We wanted to do something that helped the community while teaching children the importance of giving,” said Sandy Madsen, the branch manager’s assistant.
The Holiday Charity Giving Contest was announced in December with the goal of encouraging real estate companies to give back to the neighborhoods around them. Contestants were judged on the creativity and uniqueness of their entries, as well as on overall impact on the community.
“We were inspired by all the stories we heard, but thought RealtyUSA went above and beyond the rest,” says Jackie Berg, marketing director at Onboard Informatics. “With another holiday season come and gone, we wanted to remind everyone that helping others year-round and giving back to the community are as important as ever.”
For more information, visit www.onboardinformatics.com and www.realtyusa.com.