Our team is excited to once again host Madison artist Lilada Gee at our office, 1619 Monroe St, Madison, for Spring Gallery Night from 5-9 p.m. Friday, May 6th! The theme of her exhibit is a “Celebration of Black Girlhood.” 

Lilada writes, “Join me in celebrating the beauty of Black girlhood! EVERY girl who attends my Spring Gallery Night exhibit will get a piece of her own art to take home. Bring your girl out for a night of inspiration. Great food. Great company! And great art that celebrates amazing Black girls will be available in many forms for the girl in your life or to donate to inspire joy in a girl who needs a smile put on her face!”

We enjoyed seeing so many of you for Fall Gallery Night in November, and we hope you’ll stop by to meet

Can you see yourself living in your home for years or even decades to come? Or are you still in search of your forever home? According to statistics from the AARP, more than 90% of people over the age of 65 would prefer to stay in their current home the rest of their lives. By 2030, a fifth of the population will be in that age range. “Aging in place” has many benefits, including treasuring the memories and possessions you’ve accumulated at your home and staying connected to your community, friends, and familiar surroundings. Saving money and maintaining a sense of independence as long as possible are also key factors in this decision.  

So, what happens if someone wishes to remain at home but can no longer drive, doesn’t have family nearby, or could

Think about your last trip to buy groceries. If you’re like me, you drove your vehicle for a few minutes to your choice of grocery stores. Perhaps you picked up each piece of produce to inspect if it had any imperfections, and then gently set it aside to opt for one that looked better – ignorant to just how prevalent food waste is in our country. You filled up your cart with more items and your trunk with several bags and got home in time to cook a balanced meal.

Now imagine how that experience might be different if you needed to walk, ride a bike, or take a bus to get groceries instead – especially if it’s raining, snowing, dark out, or you have kids along with you. How many bags can you manage? How much time do you have to make a meal once you get

In 2021 the Mad City Dream Homes team learned more about the initiatives of the local group - Own It. Own It’s mission is to empower, educate and guide Black families in building household wealth through education and real estate homeownership. We do this through advocacy, education, and addressing systemic racism in real estate, banking and financial industries. 

Own It offers families, staff, and alumni at One City Schools education programs and down payment assistance to use towards the purchase of a home.  

As real estate professionals we are learning more about how systemic racism is embedded in our industry and how it impacts the wealth gap. Our team is contributing our time and resources to Own It -- Ann Raschein and Samantha Haas are key

Have you been thinking of donating your time, talent or money to an initiative that's near and dear to your heart? There are so many committed organizations that are tackling important issues in the Madison area, and they need our support. Below we've highlighted just a few of the organizations that our team members are actively supporting right now. Perhaps one of these local community groups, or one with a similar mission, will inspire you to get involved in 2022? 

12 local organizations receiving our support

Defending Black Girlhood

• https://lilada.org/defending-black-girlhood-podcast/ 

Home Buyers Round Table

• http://www.homebuyersroundtable.org/ 

Foundation for Dane County Parks

As we turn the page on 2021 and get ready for 2022, many of us are working on our goals for the new year. And for most of us, our goals usually fall into one of a few different categories. For example:

• family and relationships
• health and well being
• financial health
• and career-related goals

Another goal area that many of us are exploring right now is the area of community service. But with so many community service paths to consider, it can be hard to know where to begin. 

If you're feeling a little unsure about how to begin yourself, we have an exercise for you that will help you get started with your service journey. With this simple exercise you'll be able to choose your path by reflecting on 3 simple questions. 

Three

What started as a Kiwanis Club service project in the 1950s to support young people has grown into the largest neighborhood center for all ages in Madison. The Goodman Community Center has been serving the community -- predominantly those living on the northeast side of the city -- for the last 70 years. Through the connected values of integrity, respect, caring, equity, and trust, Goodman’s mission is to strengthen lives and secure futures. 

“The way I think about that is helping folks in the here and now and setting folks up for long-term success as well,” said Jon Lica, Director of Corporate & Community Relations. Programs range from urgent services such as the food pantry to those that “help young folks build themselves into the adults they

How might your life be different if you were offered a fresh start when you were younger? For 50 years, Operation Fresh Start (OFS) has been building the futures and transforming the lives of more than 8,000 young people with that question in mind. The mission of the nonprofit is to empower emerging adults on a path to self-sufficiency through education, mentoring, and employment training. 

“I think how this organization started is just amazing,” said OFS Development Director Jody Weyers. “Jack Osteraas was a former police officer and saw the same young people on the street all the time. So he talked to some different funding partners and got enough money to buy a dilapidated house, and he got a crew of 8 young men together to rehab the house with him

This is a question we've been asking ourselves a lot over the last few years. And the answer we keep coming back to, time after time, is community.

As realtors, we are out in the field each day, serving our clients, meeting new people, and interacting with other business owners. We've come to realize that simply by doing our jobs each day we have the potential to exert a tremendous amount of influence in our community.

In the big picture, we believe we can use our influence to help thousands of neighbors and business owners invest in making Dane County a better place to live, work, and recreate. If we can accomplish this, then our influence will be far-reaching. 

Our focus on community

Our focus on community continues to evolve, but we'd

The Dane County Farmers’ Market has gained notoriety for being the largest producer-only farmers’ market in the United States. Each Saturday, nearly 100 vendors line Capitol Square to sell their goods -- from cauliflower to cheese curds -- all of which are grown, raised, and produced in Wisconsin by the person behind the stand. 

Since its inception nearly 50 years ago in 1972, the market’s mission has been to unite urban and rural cultures and allow people to connect with their food on a different level than they could by purchasing it from anywhere else.  

“The market supports small farmers who grow food in an environmentally-thoughtful way and also supports our local community,” said Market Manager Jamie Bugel. “The market is an incredible