Lakeland Community Helps Kids Get A Great Start

The Lakeland REALTORS® Association has made community building one of its top priorities. These local REALTORS® know that helping Lakeland neighborhoods, and the people who live in them, is a win-win. One of the ways area REALTORS® offer support is by partnering with organizations like the Boys & Girls Club.

Members of the Lakeland REALTORS® Association work with clubs in both Lakeland & Mulberry, and tailor their support to fit the individual needs of each location. Recently, the Lakeland REALTORS® Young Professionals Network (YPN) was serving up ice cream at the James L. Musso club. Games, treats and fun were on hand for the 75 children who attended.  “We have really enjoyed visiting the kids and doing activities with them this year,” says YPN Co-Chair, Jana Lutz. “They especially love when we bring them treats…who doesn’t love ice cream?!”

A New Hangout Spot

The association also renovated a room at this location so that local teens could have a new hangout spot. REALTOR® Shannon Cornell was visiting the facility and saw the room set aside for the kids. She shared with the association that the room was so in need of attention that no one wanted to be in it.  President Kyle Vreeland recalled going to this exact club in his early childhood years and agreed that, “Not much has changed since I was here.”

After raising funds from more than 1100 REALTORS®, the room was freshly painted and had new flooring, lighting and ceilings installed. The updated room was stocked with bean bag chairs and a life sized Jenga set for the kids. The club also got a serious electronic upgrade as the new hangout was stocked with a Playstation 4, a new smart TV, and tablets.

Boys & Girls Club Bedroom Makeovers

Vreeland attended the room’s reveal to the kids this past May. “They were so excited, I am very proud of our Community Service Committee for doing such a great job,” says Vreeland. Vreeland shared that this room was the first the organization had done on-site but that REALTORS® had been giving the Lakeland & Mulberry Boys & Girls club members bedroom makeovers for years.

Boys & Girls club leaders nominate the child they think would benefit most from the boost of a bedroom makeover. The Lakeland REALTORS® Association then gets to work raising funds, collecting supplies and organizing volunteers for the makeover. In the end, the child is given a reveal of their new, organized bedroom. A space of their own to relax, be social and in which they can do their schoolwork. “Room Makeover Reveal Day is our favorite day of the year,” said Lakeland REALTORS® Community Service Chair Marie Hanna.