When SWMAR President Elect Devon Johnson, saw Brandywine High School Physical Education Teacher Mackenzie Cass’ Facebook post, she thought it was a perfect opportunity for a Placemaking Grant!
As today’s communities struggle to do more with less, people everywhere are getting creative in order to secure funding and donations that truly make a difference.
Mackenzie’s post asked the community for tennis racket donations for her physical education classes. She explained that the current rackets were in poor condition. Mackenzie was looking for racket donations so she could teach tennis to her students using the proper equipment.
The Southwestern Michigan Association of REALTORS® (SWMAR) takes advantage of the Lighter Quicker Cheaper (LQC) initiative to offer Placemaking Grants to the communities it serves. The initiative taps the talents and ingenuity of local residents, business owners, and governmental officials to make low-cost, incremental changes to the community. These changes provide a solid foundation for change that can have powerful, lasting impact on community development.
“I remember gym class being one of the more popular classes in high school. You learn new
games, new sports, exercise, and work on team building with peers,” stated Devon. “Brandywine recently installed brand new tennis courts. They deserve to have the right equipment to put them to good use.”
When Devon saw that the Placemaking Grant would benefit approximately 200 students per year for years to come, she decided to apply. Teaching students this lifelong sport is an excellent way to improve overall academic performance and utilize the beautiful new courts in the Brandywine community.
The Southwestern Michigan Association of REALTORS® (SWMAR) participates in providing matching funds for Lighter Quicker Cheaper (LQC) Initiatives. Brandywine High School was the recipient of $1,050.00 through this initiative. With the funds, they were able to purchase 30 new tennis rackets for physical education classes.
Physical education is an important class in high school for many reasons. The Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention states that “students who are physically active tend to have
better grades, school attendance, cognitive performance (e.g., memory), and classroom
behaviors (e.g., on-task behavior). Higher physical activity and physical fitness levels are
associated with improved cognitive performance (e.g., concentration, memory) among
students.” (Source: https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/physicalactivity/facts.htm)
“Being a REALTOR®, I pride myself in being an advocate for our local community. I saw
MacKenzie’s post on Facebook regarding the need for new tennis rackets, and I am so happy we could support one of our local high schools. I want Niles/Brandywine to be a place that people are proud to live in, work in, and play in!” concluded Devon.
Together, we are making our community stronger. SWMAR is proud to assist communities we serve with funding that improves underutilized common spaces into a vibrant, bustling, enjoyable spaces, quickly and creatively. We hope that this initiative will transform or enhance spaces in our community and spark social engagement, and perhaps even support other placemaking activities in the future.