Grace Khamou and Lynn Reissenweber of RPAI joined the Gala Committee, the Oak Park Auxiliary Board, and volunteered at the Wine Pull for Hephzibah’s Heart of Gold Ball in March 2016.
The seeds were planted just before Christmas in 2013, when Grace Khamou from Retail Properties of America, Inc. spoke to Hephzibah’s Marissa Grott about buying presents from the wish lists of several children in the Group Home. The Oakbrook, IL, company’s generosity has continued to flourish as its employees have become more and more invested in Hephzibah’s mission.
“RPAI has become our largest contributor at Christmas time,” said Marissa Grott, donor relations manager. “Not only does RPAI shop for several gifts from the wish list of every one of the 26 kids in Hephzibah Home, they also give every child a new outfit and shoes.”
RPAI employees shop for the children’s gifts and bring them to their holiday party. The result has been two very full van loads of presents! Poe said the people from RPAI will take on the challenge of locating a hard-to-find toy or spending extra to fulfill a special wish. The company has also taken a creative approach to helping Hephzibah, such as raffling off a parking spot and donating the proceeds to Hephzibah. This impressed RPAI’s president so much that he made a matching donation.
Grace Khamou, RPAI’s corporate communications manager, felt so strongly connected to helping Hephzibah that she asked Poe for ways to get involved at times other than the holidays. Khamou joined the Gala Committee for the Heart of Gold Ball and became a member of the Oak Park Auxiliary Board. What’s more, she recruited her friend and coworker, Lynn Reissenweber, RPAI’s vice president of asset management western division, to do the same! Grace and Lynn are a tremendous asset as volunteers — both for fundraising and activities with the kids.
RPAI is working with Poe on a program that allows employees to share their birthdays with the kids at Hephzibah by making a donation in honor of the occasion and asking family members to join them. We are so grateful that our partnership with this wonderful company and its employees continues to grow. To find out how your group can get involved, contact Marissa Grott, mgrott@www.hephzibahhome.org