Holiday spirit is in full force in the San Diego, California office of One Reverse Mortgage, a Quicken Loans sister company. One Reverse team members held a toy drive to support the Promises2Kids Give From Your Heart gift campaign. The gifts donated from this year’s gift drive will be distributed to more than 30 partner organizations, and ultimately to San Diego children in need that have been abused, abandoned and neglected. The One Reverse team was excited to be able help make the holidays brighter for children in need in their community.

W Kemp

Team members from Quicken Loans and Fathead.com spent the morning with students from Cornerstone School. The day was filled with class projects, sharing, and of course smiles.

By Aaron Emerson

If there are two things Quicken Loans team members love, it is eating and making a difference in the community.  That is why our recent Chili Cook-off was the ideal fundraiser to benefit the Detroit-based THAW  (The Heat and Warmth Fund).  Thaw is an independent, non-profit agency that provides low-income individuals and families with emergency energy assistance – a service in dire need during the cold Michigan winters!

Members of Quicken Loans’ IT and Marketing teams whipped up crock-pots full of their favorite chili recipes.  In total, there were more than 15 different batches of chili to choose from and sample, for only a $5 entrance fee.  But this was more than an opportunity to overindulge on chili…it was also a competition.  Each batch of chili was judged by a distinguished panel of chili connoisseurs --  and the king of chili was crowned.

While Rob Smith on our IT team has bragging rights as the King of all things chili, the real winner from our event are the 9,000 families that receive aid and assistance from THAW each year.

By Aaron Emerson

Every November, many of us take pause to think about the many ways we have been blessed throughout the year.  This year, several teams from Quicken Loans kicked it up a notch and actually took part in spreading some cheer.

Our company has been volunteering with Lighthouse of Oakland for more than four years helping with their Thanksgiving food basket program. This year was a little different – Quicken Loans team members volunteered over a three-day span, working to  sort food and create Thanksgiving dinner boxes for seniors and families that needed a little help this holiday season.

After the food was sorted, my team (marketing and some friends from IT) stepped up to help distribute the items.  As families entered the distribution center, we would gather their supplies, along with a large frozen turke, and help load them into their cars.  The charity also discovered the need was even greater than they expected, so our team also kicked in and helped stuff an additional 120 boxes. 

 I think that I can speak for every Quicken Loans team member who volunteered when I say it was truly rewarding to be part of helping make someone else’s Thanksgiving a little brighter, and to see their gratitude for the help.

To view footage please click here for our you tube video or to see pictures click here!

Quicken Loans joined several other Detroit companies to help Motown celebrate its 50th anniversary.

Proceeds from the event benefit the Motown Museum in Detroit to help keep the memories and history of Motown alive. The star-studded event at the Detroit Marriot was hosted by comedian Sinbad and we heard words of inspiration from Barry Gordy, Jesse Jackson, and a special video from President Barack Obama conveying his well wishes.

The audience danced and sang along to the sounds of the Temptations, Aretha Franklin and stood to their feet when Stevie Wonder asked Kid Rock to join him on stage. Quicken Loans and Fathead.com are very proud of their commitment to make a difference in the City of Detroit.

Check this out now at MSNBC.

By: Victoria Araj

On Saturday, Oct. 3, the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Association held its annual Walk to Defeat ALS on Belle Isle and more than 500 people, including Detroit Mayor Dave Bing, braved rainy weather to raise awareness for the disease that affects someone every 90 minutes.  ALS, (also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that attacks the cells that aid in muscle control.

This year, Quicken Loans CEO Bill Emerson served as the Corporate Chairman for the Walk and he challenged all Quicken Loans team members and its sister companies to raise $75,000 for the disease that affected both his brother-in-law and a close friend.  Through individual team member contributions, internal auctions for unique prizes, creative team competitions such as raffles, themed lunches and even valet parking for a day, the goal was surpassed and more than $120,000 was raised.  Of the total that was donated, the Cleveland office raised $9,000 and the Scottsdale office raised over $10,000 for their respective chapters.

By Aaron Emerson

A Day When Golf Was Secondary, But Fun

    I recently had the pleasure to take part in the 29^th Annual ArvinMeritor Golf Classic to benefit the March of Dimes.  The event took place at Indianwood Golf Course in Lake Orion, a beautiful private course and the home of the 2012 U.S. Senior Open.

    I was joined at the outing by three of my colleagues from Quicken Loans marketing, and I am told our sister company Fathead also had a team.  As part of the outing, we were paired with a celebrity – ours being long-time local ABC sports anchor Don Shane.  We quickly found out that we had an advantage since Don is a member of Indianwood and knew the course inside and out.

    We had a blast as we made our way through the 18 holes.  We ended up shooting 8 under par as a team, which would have been good had we not given away about 5 more shots. 

    But it is hard to be too upset when you are playing at an outing that is helping such a wonderful organization!  The March of Dimes does amazing work to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality.  As a father of two, I am blessed to not have needed their help, but am glad to know the organization was there should I have needed it.

Overall it was a great time, with great people supporting a great cause.

By: Victoria Araj

Is it possible to have a 3-bedroom home, a sports car and a 10-day vacation planned on a $3000 monthly budget? 

Questions like this gave 40 students from the Boys & Girls Club of Flint a few hours to scratch their heads and come up with an answer.  With all of the financial news in the media, local kids are learning about money a lot earlier in life thanks to the Rock Financial Junior Achievement Park in Detroit.   Kids are like sponges, they soak up all kinds of information by learning from their environment and from example.  They can learn first-hand how to manage money, balance a budget, and ultimately be a savvy financial consumer with the right tools and resources.  On Saturday, volunteers from Quicken Loans/Rock did just that by helping the students plan a simulated monthly budget.

Finance Park has a really cool set up for the students with stations that recreate offices and storefronts that reflect real-life choices.  The students were given a life scenario, which indicated whether they were single, married, with or without children and the monthly income they had to pay their bills and save.  From obtaining a mortgage, to securing insurance to buying monthly groceries, the students had to make decisions about their expenses and not be in the red at completion.  This was quite a task for the students as they picked out a house, furniture and even cell phone plans that seemed perfect on paper but when matched with their monthly income…not so realistic.  Some of the students had to make changes by buying a cheaper car or sacrificing high-speed internet in order to balance their budgets.  It sure was an eye opener as several of the students commented that they did not realize how many decisions their parents face and how they will appreciate being a kid for a while longer!

This was a great experience because it gave the students a glimpse of the responsibilities that come along with adulthood long before they are faced with them in reality.  The kids walked away with an understanding of needs versus wants and the value of planning ahead instead of spending frivolously.  All of the volunteers had a great time helping the students and are looking forward to the next opportunity to do it again!  Quicken Loans team member Sherry Wong said, “It allowed us to take everyday expenses and inspire children to think of how to manage their financial future. It was such a fun morning, and you could tell the kids learned a lot from it.”