For the St. Johns Housing Partnership every month is National Home Ownership Month. One of St. Johns Housing Partnership’s (SJHP) mission is to provide affordable housing for those who are priced out of the market for homeownership. SJHP’s rehab, weatherization and emergency repair programs are working to highlight the benefits of homeownership, promote access to affordable housing, and recognize the organizations helping families achieve it. “It’s imperative to provide affordable housing. We are committed to creating homeownership opportunities as well as an affordable rental program to meet challenge,” noted SJHP Executive Director Bill Lazar. “Another factor is keeping seniors, the disabled, Veterans and low-income families in their homes is our ability to provide crucial repairs, rehabs and improvements that ensures safety and health of the residents.” Despite its importance, rising housing costs, mortgage rates, and insurance premiums are making homeownership harder to achieve which is why SJHP collaborates with different groups like Keller Williams around St. Johns County to help people in need.
On Thursday May 14th, Keller Williams celebrated Renew, Energize, and Donate (RED) Day 2026 with SJHP, at Southern Villas, an affordable apartment community for seniors and the disabled, owned by St. Johns Housing Partnership. The event brought residents together for an afternoon of connection, laughter, music, lunch, and community. The annual Global Day of Service—which stands for Renew, Energize, and Donate—brings agents, leaders, and staff together to step away from daily business and volunteer in their local communities “We chose Southern Villas because it is a senior affordable housing community in St. Augustine owned by the St. Johns Housing Partnership, an organization doing important work to preserve and support affordable housing in our region,” said Trudy Padilla of Keller Williams Realty Atlantic Partners. “RED Day is about giving back in a meaningful, local way, and spending the day with the residents at Southern Villas felt like the perfect opportunity to serve, connect, and celebrate a community that matters.”
Approximately 25 Keller Williams Realty Atlantic Partners agents, staff, and volunteers participated in the RED Day event at Southern Villas. Volunteers helped host a community celebration for the residents, including serving lunch, organizing bingo, handing out prizes and gift bags, setting up and cleaning up, visiting with residents, and helping create a fun, welcoming environment with live music and fellowship. Volunteers were able to spend meaningful time with the residents, providing a fun social experience, and support the mission of RED Day by showing up with time, energy, and heart. Sponsors, donors and volunteers included Keller Williams Realty Atlantic Partners, St. Johns Housing Partnership Southern Villas staff, Blue Ocean Title, Real Home Image and Denise Cook with Residential Inspector of America.
SJHP staff including Marlee Tompkins, Sherry Harrison and Gina Birmingham coordinated the day’s activities. The housing partnership is committed to developing and preserving quality housing while providing support for residents with low and moderate incomes, the elderly, disabled and Veterans. “We are grateful to Keller Williams Realty Atlantic Partners agents and staff, St. Johns Housing Partnership, Southern Villas staff and residents, sponsors, and all volunteers and donors who helped make the day possible,” added St. Johns Housing Partnership Executive Director Bill Lazar. RED Day was founded in 2009 to uphold KW’s philanthropic responsibilities to the communities they serve. It is also a celebration of the birthday of former CEO of Keller Williams and passionate builder and company culture champion, Mo Anderson.
SJHP leverages all donations through long-standing partnerships that provide materials and the “peoplepower” necessary to implement our vital services. SJHP is a 501c3 charitable organization. Many of our projects are funded by private donations from individuals, community groups and corporations. For more information on S St. Johns Housing Partnership, If you have a club, organization, church or civic group that would like to do a SJHP volunteer day visit https://www.sjhp.org/volunteers-needed/ or call (904) 824-0902 or email info@sjhp.org
