Tuesday, July 14, 2015

August 2015 Southeastern Wisconsin Festival List


Enjoy the beautiful August sunshine at any of the fun-filled festivals in Southeastern Wisconsin! Music, food, shopping, family-fun; there's something for everyone!

 
1- Mamies 33rd Anniversity and Pig Roast
3300 W. National Avenue., Milwaukee
                                   
2- Sacred Heart Croatian Festival
917 N. 49th Street., Milwaukee

6-16 Wisconsin State Fair

Wisconsin State Fair Park

7-8 Waukesha BluesFest
Naga-Waukee Park, Delafield

8-9 St. Joseph Fun Fest
S89 W22650 Milwaukee, Big Bend

8-9 USA Triathlon Championships
Milwaukee Lakefront

8-9 Morning Glory Fine Craft Fair
Marcus Center for Performing Arts

13-16 Irish Fest

Henry Maier Festival Park

14-16 St. James Family Fest
830 County Rd NN East., Mukwonago

15-16 St. Louis Parish Festival
13207 Country Road G., Caledonia

20-23 Milwaukee A La Carte
Milwaukee County Zoo

21-22 St. Agnes Parish Festival
12801 W. Fairmount Ave., Butler

21-23 Our Lady of Lourdes
3722 S. 58 Street., Milwaukee

21-23 St. Sava Serbian Days
3201 S. 51st Street., Milwaukee

21-23 St. Rita Family Festival
4339 Douglas Avenue., Racine

21-23 Mexican Fiesta

Henry Maier Festival Park

27-30 Muskego Festival
Racine Avenue & Pioneer Dr., Muskego

28-30 St. Matthias Parish Festival
9306 W Beloit Rd., West Allis

Monday, July 6, 2015

25 Random Acts of Kindness to Incorporate into Your Daily Life



If you ever feel like you want to be more charitable but you feel that you just don’t know how, what to do, or you feel like you don’t have the time or money to do so, try incorporating a random act of kindness into your daily life.  There are countless ways for you to give back and to make even the smallest difference in somebody’s life.  Doing a random act of kindness doesn’t only help others but, it will also help yourself in return, especially on days that you just feel a bit down and out about any situation in your life.  I have found that doing a random act of kindness as often as I can puts a smile on others’ faces and on my own as well.  You never know who you will be helping and in what way.  These are also great ideas to influence your children and friends to try to do as well.  There’s no better feeling than knowing that you are making a positive impact on somebody’s life or in this big world in some way.  Below are just 25 random acts of kindness ideas to try to incorporate into your everyday life.  Give them a try or be creative and come up with a list of your own!


1. Walk ahead to open and hold a door for a stranger

2. Give somebody a complement

3. Listen to somebody who needs a shoulder to cry on or an ear to vent to

4. Mow your neighbor’s lawn or do some yard work for free

5. Buy some groceries for a family in need or an elderly in your neighborhood

6. Pay for the person’s coffee behind you at the coffee shop

7. Stop and buy hot cocoa for a homeless person in the winter time

8. Create “Life Packs” and distribute them to the homeless in a nearby area (“Life Packs” are bags or backpacks filled with items such as: soap, toilet paper, Kleenex, hand sanitizer, chap stick, bottled water, granola bars or other snacks, heat packs if it’s wintertime, hair comb, small shampoo, body wash, feminine napkins for women, hand lotion, cough drops, or anything else that you see fit)

9. Stop at a local animal shelter and spend an hour of your day playing with the animals

Instead of asking for birthday gifts or money, ask your friends and family to donate to a charity of your choice (or theirs) or donate what money or gifts you do get to a local shelter, hospital, or person in need.

10. Pay for somebody’s bus/train fare or gas

11. Pay for groceries for somebody in line

12. Help somebody who is struggling to carry their groceries to their car or door

13. Spend an hour of your time mentoring at a youth home

14. Go through your closet and donate some clothing and shoes to a shelter or a family in need

15. Adopt a pet and give them a forever home

16. Help a person in need get a job interview by helping with a resume and the application process

17. Volunteer an hour or so of your day helping out at a non-profit event or establishment in your area.  Check out Volunteer Match to help find opportunities in your are.

18. Cook dinner and take it to a single parent in your neighborhood who works all day and struggles to get time to cook for his/her children

19. Get a trash bag and rubber gloves and walk around a nearby park, beach, or any other area and pick up trash

20. Choose a cause that you support and donate anything that you can to them online

21. Collect coats and/or blankets and take to a local homeless shelter in the winter (animal shelters may also accept blankets too)

22. Give your restaurant server a really generous tip!

23. Collect children’s gently used books, coloring book, crayons, art supplies, learning materials, toys, and anything else to donate to your local Children’s Hospital or the children’s play area of any nearby hospital.

24. Hold a rummage sale or bake sale and donate all proceeds to your favorite charity!  
25.Instead of asking for birthday gifts or money, ask your friends and family to donate to a charity of your choice (or theirs) or donate what money or gifts you do get to a local shelter, hospital, or person in need.


Remember that you don’t need to spend a lot of time of money to make a big difference!  When it comes to purchasing items, whatever it may be, it’s really helpful (and often beneficial to many second-hand stores that are affiliated with an organization that gives back to the community or hospitals) to shop at thrift or second-hand stores, the dollar store, and rummage sales from your neighbors!  Most of these items are as good a new, especially for people and children who don’t have much to begin with.  Anything is appreciated!  Doing a spring cleaning or a winter clean-out of your closet, home, and garage are great ways to find items to donate as well.  You can also get your friends, family members, and co-workers involved and see what they can contribute to the donation process.  Create a tradition or an on-going act.  No matter how you choose to go about it or what random act of kindness that you decide to do, be sure to feel good about doing it.  Help to inspire others, especially your children, to do the same.  Make a game out of it and challenge yourself and those around you to come up with creative ideas.  Choose a month where you do one random act of kindness each day and create a blog or social media post about it and help encourage others to do the same.  You never know whose day you will be making, what kind of impact it will be making, and just how inspired you and others will become to want to do more.  Give it a try and be sure to tell me all about it!

 

Want to Help Out this Summer but Don't Know How to Find Local Volunteer Opportunities?



Summer is great time to spend time with friends and family while soaking up some sun and simply having fun.  What better way to combine all of these this summer while making a difference in your community than to volunteer your time!  There are so many volunteer opportunities to partake in or be involved with in different ways in your local area and throughout your region.  Summer is a fantastic time to give back and have fun at the same time.  It’s also a great way to get your children involved in helping others. 

There are countless volunteer opportunities with various non-profit organizations this summer in your area.  Some events and opportunities include: participating in a run/walk/bike event or helping out with set-up or registration, spending time at a local hospital, nursing home, veterans home, homeless shelter, or animal shelter doing activities like playing games, teaching skills, therapy, arts and crafts, cooking or serving food, or dog walking, sorting food at food pantries, and much more. 

You can be cause-specific such as supporting organizations like: the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Autism Speaks, the Ronald McDonald House, the Multiple Sclerosis Society, the YMCA, the Boys and Girls Club, Prevent Blindness Wisconsin, the Salvation Army, the Food Hunger Task Force, and a myriad of others.  You can also choose by cause areas such as: education and literacy, art and culture, animals, children and youth, disaster relief, politics, LGBT, race and ethnicity, veteran, elderly, women’s rights, homeless and housing, hunger, faith-based, and many others.  There are so many ways for you to lend a helping hand this summer. 

Here are some of my favorite volunteer websites to help find local volunteer events and opportunities:

Find events in your area check out Volunteer Match


To find opportunities near or far visit Idealist.org

Find teen-specific volunteer opportunities at Teen Life

Find volunteer opportunities at the Milwaukee Children's Hospital


Be sure to keep an eye out for volunteer opportunities in your local newspaper as well.

If you have a cause, organization, or establishment that you’re already passionate about, visit their webpage to find any upcoming volunteer opportunities.


Clients' Day: Closing Gift Ideas

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Clients Day - Closing Gift Ideas
By Alicia Eisenbise, Social Media Specialist, Twitter: @aliciaATcb
Today is Clients’ Day. In real estate, the way many agents build their business is through referrals given by their past clients. If someone is receiving a referral, it’s probably because they have showed the initial client a superior level of service and attention. The question is, what do successful agents do to make their clients feel extra special and get the referral? 
The ballisgroup, a boutique real estate team in Chicago, ensures their clients are satisfied by making sure their clients have direct access to the teams two principal brokers – Elizabeth and Deborah Ballis.  ”We truly do whatever it takes to have a successful transaction from the first meeting through and beyond the closing. We help get the inspection items addressed, work with the client to be sure the loan moves along, go to the closing or deal with any after-closing problems that may occur.  We do all of that and more.” said Eizabeth Ballis. “One of our ‘extras’ — when working with buyers or sellers in condo transactions is we give the managers and doormen a gift card to ‘thank them in advance’ for helping us and our clients.  It definitely makes our clients know we are team players, helping the process move along with a happy support staff that feels appreciated and goes the extra mile, too.”
Lisa Thompson, a Broker Associate in  Northwest Indiana, Lake and Porter Counties, finds that an immediate response and continued communication (even after the transaction) is key to building a life-long relationship with a client. Giving an honest opinion and protecting their best interest is also paramount to strengthening the relationship.
Closing gifts are another way to show clients you appreciate their business. What gifts have a real “wow” factor? I asked some agents and the resounding answer was that the gift needs to be personalized to the client. Many also said that sometimes the closing gift is most memorable if it is not given during the closing process because there is so much going on.

Our Favorite Closing Gift Ideas

Personalized Gift Baskets
Photo via RuffledBlog.com
Photo via RuffledBlog.com
During the home buying process, it’s likely that an agent will learn a lot about their client(s) – their interests, hobbies, likes, dislikes, etc. Many agents I spoke to on Google+ and from Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage said they enjoy putting together or having a gift basket full of products that they know their clients will love. Everything from wine country baskets to products from shops in their new neighborhood, this is a great way to personalize a gift.
Gift cards
I know this doesn’t seem personal, but it’s the type of gift card that makes it personal. If the client told the agent that they love DIY projects, they may choose a home improvement store gift card. Or perhaps the client mentioned their favorite salon or spa, restaurant or home goods store? A gift card to that favorite place would be perfect.
Personalized Keepsake
Image via HouseLoveShop on Etsy
Custom Home Illustration | Image via HouseLoveShop on Etsy
Lisa Thompson said her clients love an engraved ornament of their home. Every year the client will be reminded of her and how she helped them find their home. Other great personalized gifts include: a mailbox personalized with the new address, personalized cake carrier with a cake inside, personalized welcome mat, a framed house key engraved with the address and date or a personalized stamp with their new address.
Dinner Delivery During or Right After the Move
No one wants to cook the first night they move into a new home. First of all, who can even find the pots and pans? That’s why I love having a local restaurant deliver a full meal to the client on move-in day or the first week in the home. Of course, the agent has to do a little planning and arrange it with the client, but it’s a memorable and thoughtful gift.
Local Membership

Although it depends entirely on the client, Elizabeth Ballis shared that the ballis group sometimes gives a membership to a local museum for clients who may be new to Chicago. This idea could extend to all sorts of memberships that would help clients explore the local community: the local pool, botanic gardens, children’s museum, etc.
Charitable Donation
If a client is active in a charity, many times an agent will learn about it during the home buying or selling process. What about making a gift to that charity in the clients’ name? It’s a gift the agent and the client can feel good about.
Home Warranty Plans
The gift of a Home Warranty is a generous one and one that may be reserved for very special clientele at a certain price point, but one that can be extremely valuable to a new homeowner.  Occasionally a home seller does not provide a home warranty in the sale, in that case, Elizabeth Ballis says it could make the perfect closing gift.
Photo Gift
Photo book | image via Shutterfly
Photo book | image via Shutterfly
A real estate professional has access to all sorts of photos of the home they are helping to buy or sell. That makes a photo book or other photo gift a relatively easy project. Or if the agent has an especially beautiful image, then perhaps a canvas or metal print, stationary, photo blankets or other photo gift ideas would fit.
Annual Client Parties
This is the gift that keeps on giving. Many real estate agents have an event annually to encourage their clients to visit them and the client gets something in return. Some ideas are: giving out free pumpkins at Halloween, pictures with the Easter Bunny, holding a charity bowling tournament or hosting a shredding/recycle days.
What are your favorite client gifts you’ve ever received (or given)? 
pinterest58x58   See even more closing gift ideas on our Pinterest Pinboard here.
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Contributions to this blog come from our dedicated Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage real estate professionals and our regional service center staff. We welcome your comments and questions!