Neighbor News
LWRCF's Annual Meeting Hosted by Williams Parker
The Lakewood Ranch Community Foundation (LWRCF) Welcomed Builders and Lakewood Ranch Communities to their Annual Meeting
Photo: (Front row L-R) Michelle Tucker (Lennar Homes), Amy Brown (John Cannon Homes), Svetlana Stelmach (Homes by Towne), Clara Kilian (Neal Signature Homes), Christine McKelvey (Neal Communities), and Mark Clark (LWRCF board chair). (Back row L-R) Christa Folkers (Williams Parker and LWRCF), Kyle Bernethy (M/I Homes), Chris Pereira (Pulte Homes), David Hunihan (Lee Wetherington Homes), Dominick Giallombardo (Stock Development), Ashley Miller-Cafiero (AR Homes), and Sandi Shahinian-Levins (SMR). Absent from the photo is Anchor Builders.
Let’s Open the Door… The Lakewood Ranch Community Foundation (LWRCF) was pleased to welcome the builders of the Builders Give Back program and Lakewood Ranch Florida (SMR) to their 2024 annual meeting last month.
The Builders Give Back program participating builders include Anchor Builders, Homes by Towne, John Cannon Homes, Lee Wetherington, Lennar Homes, M/I Homes, Neal Communities and Neal Signature Homes, Nelson Homes (AR), Pulte Homes, and Stock Luxury Homes. The program benefits LWRCF by both developing engagement with homeowners in their community and by introducing them to local philanthropy, which in turn will help create support for LWRCF into the future.
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Christa Folkers with Williams Parker hosted the annual meeting and remarked, “As a Community Champion sponsor for the Lakewood Ranch Community Foundation and proud sponsor of the appreciation breakfast for the Builders Give Back program, we were honored to be a part of the annual meeting and show our appreciation for the builders participating in this exciting program.”
Builders make a $100 donation per closing to LWRCF in the name of the new homeowner. The program is further supported by Lakewood Ranch Communities which matches donations up to $10,000 to LWRCF.
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The collected funds from the program help to support local life-changing nonprofit organizations and causes embedded in the area. This program brings the new residents into the fold when they move in and provides them with an opportunity to give back themselves. By engaging Lakewood Ranch’s new residents early, LWRCF hopes for more involvement from the community to make an even bigger impact locally. From the inception of the program through the first quarter of 2024, LWRCF has communicated with 360 residents and received donations of $58,200.
Mark Clark, board chair of the Lakewood Ranch Community Foundation, stated, “The Builders Give Back program is one of the elements of LWRCF’s ability to design creative ways to engage new residents in Lakewood Ranch, introduce our organization, and support deserving nonprofits. During the annual meeting we discussed ways to enhance the program and continue the proud partnership which has been developed over the past several years.”
The vision of the Lakewood Ranch Community Foundation is to use the power of giving to serve the local community. Founded in 2000, the mission is to enhance the quality of life in Lakewood Ranch and surrounding communities by responding to needs, granting funds, and building lasting relationships. Let’s Open the Door…
For more information about the program and LWRCF, visit LWRCF.org or call 941-208-6799.
