When a loved one is struggling, it can be hard to know how to offer help and support.
Fairway Cares, a charitable arm of Fairway Independent Mortgage, aims to help employees of Fairway extend a hand to anyone in their circle who may be going through trying times. The nonprofit’s goal is to offer comfort and encouragement through care packages or financial assistance to those who are facing critical illness, loss of a loved one or have sustained physical trauma.
The desire to care for those experiencing difficult situations was at the core of Fairway Cares even before the organization was founded, said Sherri Anderson, CEO of Fairway Cares.
“I really believe that Fairway Cares started in the heart of my brother [Fairway Independent Mortgage CEO Steve Jacobson] when my dad died, because it was really, very hard for our whole family, but I think particularly for him,” she said.
A 2016 meeting of Fairway executives in California was the catalyst for creating the nonprofit. According to Anderson, one of their teammates, Paola Kielblock, had a best friend in the area who was battling breast cancer. That friend was invited to their meeting to surprise Kielblock, and between the emotion of their reunion and hearing about the woman’s cancer journey, the executives were inspired.
“It really caught the heartstrings of all the people there. They started brainstorming and thought, ‘We have somebody in this situation, what can we do to help them?’” Anderson said. “They started whiteboarding ideas, and from that whiteboarding session, Fairway Cares was started.”
Fairway Cares is designed to meet the caring requests of Fairway employees, focused on their core programs of care packages and financial assistance. Fairway employees can request assistance for a family member, coworker, friend or someone in their community experiencing a loss or hardship.
The care packages are Fairway Cares’ main focus on a regular basis, Anderson said.
“It’s pretty amazing, the impact of a simple package,” she said. “We work really hard to put some unique things in the package to make it very special and try and think of things that people wouldn’t normally go out and get themselves.”
Fairway Cares puts together three types of packages: one for those experiencing a critical illness, one for those experiencing a loss and one for those who have sustained physical trauma. The items in each can vary, but the Fairway Cares team aims for comforting, purposeful items that the recipient can really use.
“We actually had a teammate that had cancer and was on the team for a while and going through chemo. We learned that there are certain things that are helpful,” Anderson said. “It’s hard to stay hydrated, so we include a water bottle. It’s hard to stay warm, so a cozy blanket. We put a toiletry bag together just to help them feel a little more pampered – if they have to run to the hospital, they have some items that they can just grab-and-go.”
In care packages for those experiencing loss, Fairway Cares tries to include books geared toward the recipient’s situation – for example, a sudden loss or a miscarriage – to make the package feel more personal, she said.
Packages going to children tend to be a bit more customized. One child really loved unicorns, so Fairway Cares sent her a unicorn-themed box.
One of the most important things included in each package is a note, Anderson said.
“Every single package gets a handwritten note, letting them know who requested the package, just to let them know that they’re being cared for and who cared for them,” she said. “And that our thoughts and prayers are with them, that they are special.”
Anderson said that she’s continually surprised by the emotional response of package recipients, that such a seemingly small gesture can even help people open up to their support system.
“Relationships are so hard when you go through something like this. [It’s impactful] to think that maybe a package allowed a person to be a little more vulnerable, and perhaps that vulnerability allowed them to open up and recognize that they are special and they don’t have to battle this alone,” she said. “Maybe that allows them to open up and draw closer to the people that really love and care about them.”
Fairway Cares also offers financial support in the form of grants. Executive Director Tim Kath works with recipients to put these grants toward their needs, whether they be funeral costs or bills. Fairway Cares was even able to help pay for dolphin therapy for an ill child, Anderson said.
In addition to their core programs, the Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation Executive Team wanted to provide a place where people could go to take time for healing. That’s where the Hidden Beauty Retreat (also known as HBR) comes in – a huge log cabin with bedroom suites, a kitchen, dining rooms and other spaces, that sits on 250 acres of land west of Madison, Wisconsin.
HBR serves as a “really special place” where groups of people affected by illness, loss or trauma can gather and spend time together, Anderson said. She described multiple situations in which families or groups of longtime friends were able to use their time at HBR to “reflect, rest and rejuvenate.”
“So often we get so caught up in what we’re doing that we don’t take time out for ourselves and our families. It seems that when people have an illness, it’s like you come to a screeching halt and reflect on what’s really important,” Anderson said. “[HBR] is an opportunity for them to just be, and to heal – whether it’s physical healing or that emotional healing that sometimes you don’t even realize you need until you have a place to pause, slow down and be still.”
In 2019 Fairway Cares approved 295 financial grants – totaling $695,000 – and sent out 1,145 care packages. So far in 2020, they’ve approved more than 100 financial grants for a total of more than $250,000.
The nonprofit is able to offer this support thanks to the financial contributions of Fairway employees. Anderson said some employees commit to giving a certain amount per pay period, while others give a certain amount per loan they close. Employees also offer financial support during fundraisers like the organization’s golf event Putting for Packages, which raised almost $50 thousand in 2019, or the current Pedal for Packages initiative.
Because administrative costs for Fairway Cares are underwritten by Fairway Independent Mortgage Corp., all donations go directly toward care packages and financial assistance grants. Fairway Cares sends out weekly “Thank You Thursday” videos to keep the Fairway Family updated.
“The culture of Fairway is just giving hearts,” Anderson said. “We as a team are continually surprised and blown away by the generosity of the Fairway family.”
