At Greater Good Realty, we care about what happens in our community. And we aren’t just saying that. Every year, we donate 10% of our commissions to various charitable and nonprofit organizations throughout San Diego.
Recently, we had the pleasure of sponsoring Kid Korps USA during San Diego’s annual Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon. The event, which first began in 1998, benefits the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
Kid Korps:
Kid Korps USA is a membership-based youth volunteer organization that engages young people, ages 5 to 25, in community service. The group was founded in 1995 by Joani Wafer and Dawn Lehman, and although it now has 58 chapters all over the country, it is still headquartered in San Diego.
Kid Korps was born out of a desire to get children more involved in their communities. The organization’s mission, according to their website, “is to instill in America’s youth the spirit of giving while providing valuable education in leadership and responsibility.” By allowing children to contribute to the positive welfare of their communities, Kid Korps believes they will grow into mature, compassionate adults.
Kid Korps USA has accomplished an awful lot since it was founded 17 years ago. Since 1995, more than 18,500 youth and family volunteers have contributed to the organization. All the while, the group has been expanding. With requests for chapters throughout the country, Kid Korps is regularly training new leaders.
Here are a few of the things Kid Korps has accomplished over the years:
- Contributed more than 600,000 hours of community service
- Conducted more than 4,100 community service projects
- Worked with over 350 nonprofit organizations
The Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon:
The 16th annual Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon took place in San Diego last Sunday, and although there were concerns about the event’s security, everything went off without a hitch. About 8,000 runners entered the marathon, with 32% of participants coming from outside California. Another 22,000 entered the half-marathon. As always, bands were on hand to provide musical entertainment throughout the event.
This year, Kid Korps USA made their presence felt at the marathon. The F.I.T (Fundraising, Interacting, and Training) Club Charity Team came out in full force to raise awareness for local nonprofits. The group even provided training for runners prior to the event, regardless of their fitness level. To show our support, Greater Good Realty outfitted the F.I.T. Team with 120 shirts made for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon.
When everything was said and done, the marathon brought in $4.5 million for medical research. “Over 16 years, the marathon has raised more than $254 million for cancer research and patient services,” said Bill Earley, president of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s San Diego chapter. Earley went on to say that participants of the marathon should be proud of what they are “doing to save lives.”
To find out more about what Greater Good Realty is doing for the community, check out our blog.
For more information on how you can volunteer with or donate to Kids Korps USA, visit http://www.kidskorps.org/.