POULSBO — Lost in the files but very much worth reporting:

Windermere Real Estate’s Poulsbo office spent June 9 at Eli’s Place, which provides supportive housing for domestic violence survivors.

The volunteers cleaned the roof, painted, landscaped the grounds, and made interior repairs.

It was part of Windermere Real Estate’s annual Community Service Day. More than 300 Windermere offices in the Western United States, including Alaska and Hawaii, sent out more than 6,000 agents to work on projects in their local communities.

Terry Burns, project organizer, gave a special thank you to the following businesses:

• • Port Madison Enterprises, for donating a truckload of gravel.
• • Vern’s Topsoil for a truckload of bark.
• • Home Depot for gift cards.
• • Valley Nursery for more than $600 of bedding plants.
• • Sherwin Williams for donating all of the paint and painting supplies.
• • Elmer’s Restaurant and That’s a Some Italian Restaurant for feeding the families while Windermere worked on their homes.

In addition, for 28 years the Windermere Foundation (www.windermere.com/foundation) has donated a portion of the proceeds from every home purchased or sold toward supporting local families that are low-income and/or homeless. What started in 1989 as a grassroots foundation serving families in need in Washington state has grown to encompass 10 states and has raised more than $33 million for programs and organizations that provide shelter, clothing, children’s programs, emergency assistance, and other services to those who need our help the most.

Eli’s Place is named after Eli Creekmore, who was kicked to death by his father in 1986. Since then, his great-grand-aunt, Ardis Morrow of Poulsbo, has been a champion for domestic violence victims and was instrumental in establishing Eli’s Place. She successfully lobbied for tougher penalties for domestic violence perpetrators and more protections for survivors, spurred the formation of the Poulsbo North Kitsap Rotary Club’s Domestic Violence Prevention Committee, and is the inspiration behind Morrow Manor, long—term transitional housing for families building new lives after escaping domestic violence.

Morrow Manor is under construction near Poulsbo. Go to http://supportmorrowmanor.org.