RED Development is committed to making a positive impact in the communities its properties serve. Each of RED’s shopping centers organizes and hosts events and partnerships throughout the year to benefit local charitable organizations.
In 2006, Village Pointe in Omaha, Neb. hosted a day-long benefit for Children’s Hospital of Omaha, complete with a professional-caliber fashion show, restaurant tasting stations, a silent auction, strolling entertainers and more. The event raised $40,000 for the hospital. Additionally, Village Pointe served as a collection site for Omaha Food Bank, hosted a Cancer Walk for locally-based “In the Arms of Friends” and participated in other charitable fundraising efforts throughout the year.
Each Christmas, SouthPointe Pavilions in Lincoln, Neb. hosts “Christmas Wishes,” an effort to grant special holiday wishes to individuals in need. Approximately 30 wishes are granted each year, with the majority made possible by SouthPointe Pavilions’ tenants. At the center’s summer “Friday Nights Live” concert series, which runs for three months, audience members are asked to donate $1 per person to benefit a designated charity. An average of $2,000 is raised each month. Additionally, SouthPointe Pavilions was recognized by the national SAFE KIDS Coalition in 2005 for its annual SAFE KIDS Day, an event that raises awareness about ways to keep kids safe.
The Legends at Village West in Kansas City, Kan. selected Providence Medical Center and Saint John Hospital as beneficiaries for the VIP ticket sales for its grand opening concert. More than $50,000 was donated to the hospitals. The Legends at Village West also donates the money collected in its courtyard fountains – more than $3,000 to date – to local charities. Additionally, the center has served as a venue for such events as the Sunflower 2 Roses Bike Festival Fight Against Cancer.
Greenway Station in Middleton, Wis. hosted a charity gala in 2007, which raised money for the locally-based “Friends of UW Hospital.”
Village Pointe, SouthPointe Pavilions, Greenway Station and SummitWoods Crossing (Lee’s Summit, Mo.) each host the One Warm Coat drive annually. One Warm Coat is a national program that encourages communities to donate coats to local charities. In 2006, Village Pointe and SummitWoods Crossing each collected more than 500 coats, Greenway Station collected more than 150, and SouthPointe collected nearly 700.
In a similar program, The Legends at Village West hosts Project Warmth, a Kansas City-based campaign to make winter months more bearable for thousands of area residents in need. The Legends collected food, clothing and blankets for area families.
Fulton Ranch Towne Center in Chandler, Ariz., partnered with a local high school to collect backpacks and school supplies for underprivileged children served by a local charitable educational organization. As a result, more than 100 children received a new backpack filled with school supplies at Christmastime.
RED’s shopping centers are important to the communities they serve. Each acts as a local gathering place, a family entertainment venue, and a pleasant place to shop and dine. As such, each center is intentional about making a positive, measurable impact on its community.