FRONT PORCH

This time of year, the Neal Communities headquarters in Lakewood Ranch and South Region office in Bonita Springs can look more like Santa’s workshop than the offices of the region’s premier private home builder. Piles of toys abound, donated by employees wanting to make the holidays special for children who might not otherwise receive gifts this holiday season.

In the Lakewood Ranch office, employees who chose to participate in the Salvation Army Angel Tree program selected an angel card from the tree and purchased gifts for that child. This year, 100 children will receive holiday gifts from the Neal teammates. Participating in the Salvation Army Angel Tree program has been an ongoing annual tradition for many years at Neal Communities, benefitting an estimated 1,100 children or more over the years.

“We really enjoy organizing the Salvation Army Angel Tree each year and seeing Neal Communities employees get excited about choosing cards from the tree,” said Tashara A. Cronshaw, vice president of human resources. “It’s so heartwarming to see the presents start to come in, and I just know that our team members are putting smiles on the faces of lots of local children this year!”

In the Neal Communities South Region office, employees from Fort Myers, Naples and the surrounding areas donated more than 100 toys to Toys for Tots. The toy drive is run by the United States Marine Corps Reserve to distribute gifts to children whose parents cannot afford to buy them. This year, 582 local children were registered. This is Neal Communities fourth year participating in Toys for Tots.

“This is a special time of year to give back to families and the community,” said Carlos Puente, vice president of sales and marketing. “In total, we bought presents for more than 100 kids this year. It is a joy to see the Neal Communities family come together to spread joy and make things a little easier for some families that need help making holiday magic happen.”

Pat Neal, the founder and chairman of Neal Communities, has intentionally fostered a philanthropic culture at Neal Communities. The company has donated nearly $8 million to local charities throughout Southwest Florida, supporting programs such as nonprofits, schools and other programs that help build strong communities. “What’s really exciting about the toy drives is that our employees do this themselves,” said Neal. “I’m so touched to see the generosity and culture of giving among our employees and the way they selflessly give to make the holidays happier for lots of boys and girls.”