Sept. 22 celebration to raise funds, awareness for local organizations
Keefe Kares, the charitable branch of Keefe Real Estate, invites the public to its Fabulous Fall Celebration at the Walworth County Fairgrounds at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 22.
The cost is $10 a ticket, and tickets can be purchased at www.keefekares.com.
“Our goal with the celebration is to raise funds for local organizations and drive awareness to the invaluable work they provide our community,” said Tom Keefe, the company’s president and chief executive officer.
Keefe Kares is a 501(c)3 foundation which distributed more than $50,000 to more than 20 community charities across three counties in 2016. The celebration will feature a raffle, pig roast, live music, and live and silent auctions.
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. Their financial contributions are further matched by Keefe Real Estate.
An annual tradition at the celebration is to spotlight one organization the foundation supports. This year, the board unanimously voted to honor Tree House for the challenging and essential services it provides to the community.
The Tree House, also known as the Walworth County Alliance for Children, partners with Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin’s Walworth County Child Advocacy Center to support children and families that have been affected by child abuse. One of the core missions of the Tree House is to build awareness throughout the community on the topic of sexual abuse, physical abuse, neglect, drug endangered children and human trafficking.
The Child Advocacy Center, on average, conducts more than 300 forensic interviews of children yearly. It also provides therapy programs and medical evaluations for children who are experiencing or have experienced trauma. Annually, the Walworth County Child Advocacy Center receives 1,300 referrals regarding child maltreatment.
“Every day at the Tree House we recognize that children in our community suffer from abuse and neglect,” said Bridget Dickinson-Six, director of development for the center. “It is also this community that generously supports our mission of keeping children free from harm. We are truly grateful to everyone, especially Keefe Kares, who puts the safety and well-being of children in our county first.“
Local videographer Isaac Smith volunteered his professional services to create a video about the organization that will be unveiled at the event.
In 2016, rolling-grant gifts were made by the Keefe Kares board to the following 501(c)3 organizations of service excellence: the Association for Prevention of Family Violence, Aquanuts Adaptive Ski Program, Aurora Foundation’s breast care program, Big Brothers, Big Sisters, Big Foot Food Pantry, Delavan Food Pantry, Elkhorn Food Pantry, Lake Geneva Conservancy, Lake Geneva Food Pantry, Lake Geneva Hope Walk, Love Inc., Open Arms Free Clinic, Sharing Center, Side by Side, Special Olympics, Transitional Living Center, Tree House, Twin Lakes Area Food Pantry, Twin Oaks Homeless Shelter, United Way, VIP Services, and the Water Safety Patrol.
The Fabulous Fall Celebration is sponsored by Creekside Landscape, First Business Bank, Macs Moving and Storage, Diamond Residential Mortgage Corporation, First National Bank and Trust, Southeastern Title, Joe Senglaub, First Midwest Bank, Meridian, Lake Geneva Regional News, Stebnitz Builders, Hummel Construction, TLC Cleaning Service, Advia Credit Union, Park Bank, Market Street Venture Rental and Lakes Area Home Inspectors.
More information about the fall celebration or the Keefe Kares foundation can be obtained by contacting Katrina Lubinski at (262) 348-3215 or katrinal@keeferealestate.com.
