REI Games: Jacksonville-area real estate and builder teams compete for charity

Beth Reese Cravey, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union
·2 min read
About 340 real estate and infrastructure industry professionals recently competed in a charity fundraising field day at Daily's Place Flex Field. The $35,855 in proceeds go to the American Heart Association Heart Challenge and Goodwill Industries North Florida.
About 340 real estate and infrastructure industry professionals recently competed in a charity fundraising field day at Daily's Place Flex Field. The $35,855 in proceeds go to the American Heart Association Heart Challenge and Goodwill Industries North Florida.

About 340 people who work in the Northeast Florida real estate and infrastructure industry recently competed in tug of war, dodgeball and other games to raise money for area nonprofits.

The 2024 Real Estate and Infrastructure Games, also known as REI Games, was hosted by the England-Thims & Miller engineering consulting firm in partnership with the Jacksonville Jaguars Foundation. The event was at the Jaguar’s Daily’s Place Flex Field and raised $35,855.

Teams from 28 companies participated, with a group from Jacksonville's Miller Electric winning the tournament. Proceeds went to the American Heart Association First Coast and Goodwill Industries of North Florida.

Now in its third year, the event "is an opportunity for those working in our industry to meet each other on the playing field for a day of team building and community," said Tyler Mathews, president of Jacksonville-based England-Thims & Miller. "Our friends, partners, elected officials and colleagues … come together and enjoy a day of camaraderie, all for a good cause."

The 2023 event featured 22 teams and 245 players from 13 firms. Collectively, they raised about $26,000. Since its inception, the games have raised about $80,000 for charity.

This Miller Electric team won the recent 2024 Real Estate and Infrastructure Games, a field day for industry professionals that raised almost $36,000 for charity.
This Miller Electric team won the recent 2024 Real Estate and Infrastructure Games, a field day for industry professionals that raised almost $36,000 for charity.

Nonprofit Goodwill Industries removes barriers to employment through training, education and career opportunities for the communities. David Rey, CEO of the North Florida division, said the games donation will be used for the agency's trade construction training program, which creates "a pipeline of future employees."

"We are extremely grateful for the opportunity to participate as a beneficiary of this event," he said.

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The other funding recipient, the American Heart Association First Coast, will use the gift for its Heart Challenge program, which helps middle and high school students strengthen their physical and emotional well-being and social responsibility.

Such "generous local support … protects the hearts of those you love," said Caitlin Brunell, executive director of the association's First Coast chapter. "We remain committed to fighting the nation’s No. 1 and No. 3 killers — heart disease and stroke. As we forge ahead into our second century, we will continue to drive equitable health and focus our educational efforts across Northeast Florida."

The next REI Games is in spring 2025.

bcravey@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4109

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Real estate, builder teams play REI Games for Jacksonville charities