Annual fundraiser to honor Open Arms Free Clinic
Keefe Kares, the charitable branch of Keefe Real Estate, invites the public to share in its Fabulous Fall Celebration at the Walworth County Fairgrounds at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 30.
The Fabulous Fall Celebration, which is honoring Elkhorn’s Open Arms Free Clinic, will feature a pig roast, live music, live and silent auctions and raffle.
“Our goal with the celebration is to raise additional funds for local organizations and drive awareness to the invaluable work they provide our community,” Keefe’s President Tom Keefe said. “This year we decided to spotlight Open Arms as our honoree for the needed services they are providing for people of all ages in our communities.”
Housed in a modern medical facility just south of downtown Elkhorn on Highway 67, the non-profit Open Arms provides free medical services to people of all ages and backgrounds who fall through the gaps of medical care in local communities, throughout two counties.
“When my wife and I returned to the area a few years ago, she volunteered at Open Arms while job searching. Through her, I got to know about the organization and the people who were building it, and it was clear from early on that it would have a significant impact on an underserved population of our community,” Keefe said.
“As a private non-profit, our work is supported totally by individual donations and grants,” Open Arms Executive Director Sara Nichols said. “In supporting us as they have, Keefe Kares is also supporting the countless volunteer hours provided us by local doctors, dentists and other medical professionals who selflessly serve our now 700-hundred-plus clients with much-needed medical care and counsel.”
Keefe Real Estate’s marketing department has developed a tribute video on Open Arms that will be played at the benefit as part of the tribute to this year’s board-selected honoree.
In addition to the grant made Open Arms, rolling-grant gifts of $250 to $5,000 were also made by the Keefe Kares board in 2015 to the following local non-profit organizations of service excellence: The Sharing Center, TLC/Transitional Living Center, Aquanuts Adaptive Aquatics Program, Delavan Food Pantry, Lake Geneva Food Pantry, Elkhorn Food Pantry, Big Foot Food Pantry, East Troy Food Pantry, Treehouse, Lake Geneva Water Safety Patrol, Special Olympics, United Way, VIP Services, Twin Oaks Homeless Shelter, Walworth County Alliance for Children, Lake Geneva Conservancy, Love, Inc., Association for Prevention of Family Violence, Whitewater Food Pantry, Kenosha Food Pantry. More groups will join the Keefe Kares honor roll for 2016.
“My father started a matching gifts program at Keefe Real Estate many years ago, and this new program is an extension of his goal of giving back to our community,” Tom Keefe said. “With Keefe Kares, I firmly believe that every check we can give to such worthy local charities is an investment in our collective future as community members.”
Money raised by the Foundation for Keefe Kares comes from several sources. Nearly 70 percent of the donations come from individual agents and staff, many of whom have contributions auto-deducted from every commission or paycheck throughout the year. Many also work volunteer hours in the community. Their financial contributions are further matched by Keefe Real Estate.
Headquartered in Lake Geneva with seven offices regionally, the locally owned and operated brokerage is nearing its 75th year of service in Southeastern Wisconsin.
The Fabulous Fall Celebration is also sponsored by Southeastern Title, First Business Bank, First National Bank, Hogs and Kisses, Hummel Builders, Lakes Area Home Inspectors, PJ Electric and Stebnitz Builders, along with other local businesses among auction and raffle donors featured that night.
Keefe Kares is a 501(c)3 foundation which distributed $31,000 to more than 20 community charities across three counties last year.
For more information about the Fall Celebration, or the Keefe Kares foundation in general, contact Katrina Lubinski at (262) 348-3215 or katrinal@keeferealestate.com.
Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at keefekaresannualcelebration.eventbrite.com or by calling Lubinski.
