FREDERICKSBURG, VIRGINIA—Shawn Derrick and his 12:45 Team, part of Keller Williams Capital Properties, donated a day of service to STEP VA Inc., helping the local 501(c)3 nonprofit that “empowers people with disabilities and their families through creative expression and sensory exploration,” to organize and dress the STEP VA Studio.
About a dozen members of the 12:45 Team, including Derrick, a long-time supporter of STEP VA, descended on the STEP VA space early on Friday, May 10. In just under two hours they built shelving units, organized materials, labeled items, covered and hung sound-proofing panels, and hung lights, among other small but meaningful tasks for the organization.
“We are so grateful to the 12:45 team for coming in and tackling jobs that we would have eventually gotten to but needed to be done,” said Sandy Habina, co-coordinator of STEP VA's Parent Connect group, who was onsite for the metamorphosis. “They're doing the things we know needed to be done but didn't know when we could get to it.”
STEP VA was able to secure its own space in November 2023, on the heels of a record-breaking fundraising gala. Yet, the organization's programming schedule—three and a half months of preparation for the spring musical, which rolled straight into planning for the group's cornerstone program: three weeks of summer camp sessions—has left no time to get the space in order. Enter Derrick and his team.
“Our real estate businesses have always been about relationships and serving families. STEP VA's mission, serving families by caring for those who have disabilities, matches our mission. We're excited to support them financially and by giving our time to support a wonderful mission here in our local community,” Derrick said. “STEP VA is not just an organization we support 'out in the clouds,' but it's a very relational organization because we know the families, we know the heart of the board and that excites us to be able to support them even more.”
For more information about STEP VA or to donate, please visit www.stepva.org.
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STEP VA, Inc. is a 501c3 non-profit organization that provides sensory-based theater and arts programs for individuals with disabilities. Its vision is to transform the world by offering each individual the opportunity to flourish in the community.