During the week of May 31-June 7, 2014, Vantage Resort Realty, a vacation rental management company in Ocean City Maryland will host Ocean City’s first-ever Little Pink Houses of Hope beach retreat, thanks to the donation of twelve properties by its vacation rental owners. Little Pink Houses of Hope is a non-profit organization that facilitates rest, recovery & reconnection for families affected by breast cancer through free, week-long vacations. While in Ocean City, families will get to spend quality time together, as well as with other families who’ve had similar experiences. Shared meals, fun activities & outings are also being planned to make it special and relaxing.
The event couldn’t have been possible without the generosity of homeowners who gave up their properties (and a week’s rent) to become “Beach Angels” for the visiting families. “We are so grateful to the owners – they are amazing. They are the ones who made it happen,” says Vantage Client Relations Coordinator Eliana Miteva, who felt compelled to organize the effort after seeing a Little Pink Houses of Hope yard sign in Fenwick Island, DE last fall. Inspired by Eliana’s desire to help, Vantage management and staff quickly pledged their support, and the enthusiasm continued to spread. Within an hour of emailing the idea to Vantage property owners, Eliana began receiving responses from those who wanted to participate – many of whom had been affected by breast cancer in some way or simply wanted to give back.
Owner Nancy Roes of Annapolis, MD, actually donated not one, but all three, of her Belmont Towers properties that are located right on the Boardwalk. “We enjoy giving back to the community and helping those in need,” says Nancy. “When Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure 5K comes to the Boardwalk every April, I’m there. So, when I learned of this opportunity to make our condo units available to families in need of a reprieve, I definitely wanted to participate.”
Since then, many local businesses & organizations have also come forward to donate their resources to make the week special. Among them are Viking Golf Amusements, Wobbly Wheel Boardwalk Bicycles, BJ’s on the Water, Bull on the Beach, Walk on Water Stand Up Paddleboard Company, Oceanic Fishing Pier, Dana Marie Photography, Red Door Community Center, and Shore Community Church. Even Vantage will be providing passes for families to visit Assateague Island, as well as grocery store gift cards so that Little Pink Houses of Hope organizers can make meals and stock the kitchens with food during the week. “Everyone gets involved in any way that they can,” says Eliana. “As much as we are focused on business, we still like to dream big and we believe we can change the world.”
