By: Kate Merrihew – Director of Education and Marketing
In August, we introduced a tagline – “Experts Valuing Communities.” This sentence truly encapsulates what we are seeking to achieve at D.S. Murphy. Personal connections and relationships are the way to keep the appraisal business out of the hands of computer programs and data-driven software. The more important meaning behind this is the intrinsic understanding that we are a team of people– not just D.S. Murphy but everyone in the industry and by extension, their communities.
No other time of year quite strikes our need for community like the holidays. A study for the University of Texas claims that volunteerism typically sees a 50% increase in the months of November and December, even though 1 in 4 adults routinely give back year-round. If you have been with D.S. Murphy for a while, you are aware that we used to take part in “light the night,” an event for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in October. The pandemic, unfortunately, drew us away from in-person events and giving back in a more meaningful, relationship-building way but hopefully we can move forward. Earlier this year, members of the Executive Team got together and discussed ways to be more involved with local organizations; organizations with roots in the communities that we serve and directly related to housing. The core values of Community, Personal Integrity, Innovation and Continuous Learning were highlighted, and the focus of our giving should reflect these.
D.S. Murphy will be collaborating with Wellroot Family Services – www.wellroot.org – in the near future on a variety of opportunities. Wellroot is a non-profit organization that seeks to find homes for children, families and foster children aging out of the system. Their vision is “we envision a world where every child is raised in a loving, compassionate and nurturing home.” When I think about this vision, I think about how it aligns with what we do as appraisers and specifically at D.S. Murphy.
We value homes.
We also value those without a home. Those without a community or home need to feel connected more than anyone and we can help to fill a void. In the coming months, we will be presenting options and opportunities to get involved, in whatever way suits you.
I want to invite you to attend a ZOOM meeting on December 16th to hear more about a specific winter opportunity with Wellroot and A Home for Everyone in Dekalb as well as to learn about this non-profit and whom they serve. If you do not work for D.S. Murphy and are reading this article, we invite you to attend – please reach out to education@dsmurphy.com for the ZOOM link. These organizations can never have too many volunteers. Together we can make “valuing communities” a meaningful piece of the bigger puzzle.