June 11th marked one of our favorite Windermere traditions: Community Service Day (CSD). We always enjoy going out into the community and helping out. This year was especially fun since we weren’t able to participate last year due to COVID-19. Last Friday, we helped clean up the Boy Scout Hall in Kingston. Read on to find out more about what we were able to accomplish.
The History of Community Service Day
Every year since 1984, all Windermere offices close on Community Service Day and we spend the day volunteering in the wonderful communities we serve. From helping prepare Coffee Oasis for their Kingston opening to volunteering at the Village Green, we love giving back. We’re proud of this collective effort and the impact it has had. Windermere’s offices are located in 10 states and we have collectively logged over 1,000,000 community service hours.
CSD at Kingston’s Boy Scout Hall
After years of fundraising efforts, it’s finally possible to start renovating the Boy Scout Hall. Since the 1960s, the Hall has served as a haven for local young men. The Boy Scouts of America’s mission is to “prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices”, focusing on values such as loyalty, kindness, trust, and bravery. While many locals love this historic place and the Boy Scouts, the structure itself needs repairs. Thankfully, our Kingston North Kitsap Rotary Club stepped in to restore it. The area around the building needed to be cleaned up.
So, on Community Service Day, we helped restore the area around the Hall in Kola Kole Park. That included the grove of trees next to the Hall, which were planted to remember local, fallen soldiers of WWII. “We also bought materials and built a woodshed to store firewood for Scout Hall, its only source of heat,” explained Jet Woelke, Managing Broker. “The area had been neglected and overrun with weeds.”
Everyone really enjoyed getting to come together in person and help with this important project. Connecting with the community was a personal highlight for Jet. “It was great to talk to people passing by on the sidewalk and hear them comment on how much they appreciated what we’re doing.”
To get a glimpse of our work as well as the work of our colleagues at our other local Windermere offices, check out our video!