Cliff Buchan
News EditorFor some couples, the idea of a wedding anniversary might be a weekend jaunt to a nice hotel and dinner at a fine hotel in the Twin Cities or perhaps a winter trip to some warm weather destination.
But when it comes to celebrating and helping a good cause, Bill and Barb Doyle found a way to do both.
The Doyles were two of the nine real estate agents from Edina Realty in Forest Lake who went outside Saturday, Nov. 13 and slept in tents to help raise money for the homeless. They were part of a local fund-raising effort for the Edina Realty Foundation and the annual Bobís Sleep-Out event in Wayzata.
The Doyles were serious about this anniversary celebration. They did more than simply take part. They also were active in fund-raising.
When the local sleep-out came to a close on Sunday, Nov. 14, the couple had netted some $1600 in donations. That was over half of the $3000 local Edina Realty agents collected from friends and colleagues in the Forest Lake area.
Under the guidelines of the Nov. 13 fund-raiser, 80 percent of the $3000 raised will go to support Edina Realty Foundation programs in the Forest Lake area. The remaining 20 percent will go to help support Bob Fisher's ongoing marathon sleep-out to raise funds for emergency and long-term housing needs in the Twin Cities area.
ìWe are pleased with the results of this first-time fund-raiser,î said Bob Fedderly, coordinator of the local Edina Realty drive.
The funds raised will be pooled with Edina Realty Foundation dollars to support worthy programs and causes in the Forest Lake area in 2005. Local grants from the Edina Realty Foundation are made each fall.
Recently, the local foundation provided money to support the Forest Lake Community Helping Hand, the Youth Service Bureau of Forest Lake, Family Pathways of Forest Lake and Wyoming, The Refuge and Free 2 Be.
The local crew of Edina Realty agents gathered around 4 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 13 to pitch tents and make camp at agent Tom OíMaraís home near Stacy. The sales agents spent the evening around the campfires that provided warmth.
The tents and warm sleeping bags provided comfort for the campers during the cold of the night as the temperature dipped to around 20 degrees.
The delegation broke camp by 8 a.m., Sunday, Nov. 14.
The $600 that the local office drive will donate to Bobís Sleep Out will help founder Bob Fisher complete his sizeable goal.
He has pledged to continue sleeping out in Wayzata until some $1,250,000 is raised to support emergency housing and long-term housing needs. Fisherís web site this week reported a total of $564,412 raised so far.
The Forest Lake delegation was part of some 200-250 Edina Realty agents at offices across the metro area who joined Fisherís fight to help the homeless and raise funds for worthy local organizations.
Members of the Forest Lake team included office manager Jacquie Krismer, Fedderly, the Doyles, Tangi Schaapveld, Linda Hitchcock, Tom OíMara, Farrell Tuohy and Larry Bulinski.
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