First, thank you to everyone who reached out to congratulate me on 50 years as a REALTOR®, 25 years of Leslie Wells Realty, and two years of One Community – One Connection magazine. September was filled with celebrations, memories, old friends and a whole lot of looking back. I’m incredibly grateful to everyone who celebrated these milestones with us. 

But after all that celebrating, I started thinking about something else—the community that made those 50 years possible. 

For decades, this community has supported me, Leslie Wells Realty and the agents who work alongside me. So, instead of simply saying thank you, we decided we wanted to do something good. 

We gave every agent and member of our team $50 with one request: spend it right here in our community helping someone or supporting an organization that matters to you. 

Fifty dollars may not seem like much but put into the hands of people who live and work throughout our community, those small gifts can make a difference. Sometimes the smallest gestures are the ones that mean the most. 

As an independent, locally owned brokerage, that matters to us. The money you spend with Leslie Wells Realty stays local. We employ local people, support local businesses and organizations, advertise locally, and when we have the opportunity.

There was no single charity chosen and no requirement that everyone give in the same way. We simply asked each person to choose something meaningful to them. Over the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing photos and stories of some of the people, places and organizations our team chose to help. 

Maybe one small act inspires another. And another. 

And speaking of our community, take another look at our cover. Those aren’t stock-photo cows from some faraway pasture. Our October cover stars are right here on CR 675 in Parrish! A little reminder that even as our community grows, there’s still some country left in the place we call home. 

So grab your pumpkin spice latte, enjoy the fall festivals, Halloween fun, and maybe some high school football!