When Winter Storm Uri affected many southern states in February, our strong community of Newrezers sprung into action. An internal fundraising campaign was launched that week to support five deserving nonprofits, including Feeding Texas, South Alamo Regional Alliance for the Homeless, Austin Area Urban League, Bridge Steps, and the Houston Food Bank.

As mortgage lenders and servicers, we know the intricacies of home repair and construction. When the need shifted from emergency response to long-term recovery, we adapted our program to support homeowners. “Part 2” of assisting the storm victims included a fundraising campaign for Memorial Assistance Ministries.

In total, our generous employees and the Newrez NOW program raised over $15,000! Thank you to our employees, the nonprofits on the ground, and the many volunteers supporting their work.

Newrez employees celebrated Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s vision and legacy by volunteering across the country on January 18. As a National Day of Service, we encouraged our employees to make MLK Jr Day “a day on” by supporting their communities and Dr. King’s message of peace, equality, and justice.

We’re proud of our employees who spent the day packing donation boxes for local food banks, volunteering at Goodwill and other collection sites, writing thank you cards for nurses, doctors, and staff at local hospitals, and the many others who virtually volunteered their time and talents.

Newrez summer associates recently gathered in the Fort Washington, PA headquarters for a week of training, team building and experiencing the give-back culture of Newrez.

In one activity, the interns formed “companies” to assemble, market and sell five children’s bikes with the help of Level 12’s Dan Perdue, a motivational speaker.  With only forty minutes of working time, the teams were focused and strategic, knowing that the winning team would demonstrate business acumen.

At the end of the allotted time, each team presented their bike and advertisement ideas to the group. With a hint of what was to come, Dan noted how each group had overlooked a critical aspect to effectively marketing the product: identifying their ultimate customers. He revealed that the bikes they had just built were ultimately going to be donated to the North Penn Valley Boys and Girls Club.  Turns out, it wasn’t a motivational contest; the bikes would be given to five local children in need.

When Marketing intern Caroline James reflected on the challenge, she added, “my team’s slogan was ‘ride beyond the possibilities.’” In typical Newrez fashion, that’s exactly what each intern did.

The interns were visibly touched to be a part of this process. They had learned some key qualities of Newrez culture, including teamwork, creativity, and performance under pressure. Most importantly, they learned the most valuable lesson of all: An essential part of the mission of Newrez is that everyone—from intern to executive, is empowered to give back to the communities that we serve across the country. 

The Newrez Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) team joined forces with Newrez NOW to host a companywide fundraiser for the Trevor Project, an organization that supports LGTBQ+ youth mental health, in celebration of Pride Month.

Between generous employees and the Newrez NOW match, not only did Newrez meet the initial fundraising goal of $1,000, but we surpassed it to raise nearly $9,000.

Employee engagement soared to an all-time high towards the finish line of the drive. With a week remaining in the fundraiser, a passionate employee kicked off a peer challenge. After his challenge to donate, other employees were inspired to follow suit, engage in discussions, and talk about the importance of supporting mental health.

With our employees, building a diverse and inclusive culture is a journey. While fundraising is an important part of our culture, so is ongoing education. As part of the Pride celebration, Newrez welcomed Professor Andrew Lear to host a virtual event, speaking to the history and current happenings of the LGBTQ+ movement as well as book and movie recommendations to continue learning.

Our fundraiser for the Trevor Project and employee learning opportunity continued our passion to do right by our communities!