Brenna O'Donnell
You should work for free in your spare time. Seriously, it might just become your new favorite hobby. In Philadelphia, community means a lot, and theres so many niche aspects about the city that may give you that at home feeling. The city is both big and small at the same time. It's a place where you may unexpectedly run into your friend who lives in another neighborhood checking out your favorite coffee truck on a Monday which makes it feel small. Or you may be trekking from the beginning of Kelly Drive to the end of the Schuylkill River Trail and wonder how in the world you just accomplished almost fifteen thousand steps. Community is a vital part of our day to day life that goes beyond the point of buying, selling, and renting homes. Real estate is about more than transactions to us: it’s about people and the communities that turn houses into homes. Giving back is a priority for our team, and we happily support the city that supports us.
We are proud to be official partners of the Philadelphia Phillies, an organization that shares our commitment to community involvement. Through this partnership, our team volunteered at the Phillies’ golfing event, supporting important initiatives while connecting with others who care deeply about giving back to the city. Beyond the event itself, the experience offered a rare, behind the scene look at a stadium that holds deep meaning for our city, and for us! Being welcomed into the inner workings of a place so closely tied to Philadelphia's identity underscored just how many individuals it takes to bring that energy to life. I had the opportunity to connect with people I may have never rubbed elbows with otherwise- the retirement careerists who decided that spending their golden years at The Bank beats sitting on their stoops, local partners whose brains I got to pick, recent graduates who have dreamt of working for one of our city's teams, and longtime members of the Phillies community that genuinely love what they do- each their own story, history and connection to our baseball team. Which makes those conversations stand as a powerful reminder to me that community is truly built through people who care deeply about where they work and where they live. Hearing why they love their roles, how long they've been fans of the Phillies enough to take on a job there, and what the city means to them reinforced the value of showing up, listening, and engaging beyond our usual circles. These moments of real connection are what make volunteering so meaningful to me and why I continue to seek out opportunities that allow me to help where I can.
For us, service is not transactional, it's relational. Volunteering creates opportunities to build genuine connections, strengthen local networks, and invest in the long term vitality of the neighborhoods we serve. I really do love hearing why people have loved a certain neighborhood for years and how it matches their lifestyle- I want to know where they frequent and why they joined certain clubs, or what their current fixation is from the hottest local family owned spot.
Which is why you should consider volunteering as the ultimate Philadelphia side mission. Instead of just scrolling through an app to find the best "hidden gem" from someone who moved to the area last year, you’re out there meeting the people who actually founded the gem. It’s basically networking without the awkward blazers, paired with a deep dive research project on where to find the city's best pierogi or where the most gatekept swings are. Treating service like a side quest doesn't just help the city- it upgrades your own map of Philly, turning strangers into neighbors and neighborhoods into home turf. Plus, the "payout" is much better than any 9-to-5.
