NewmarketToday continues its annual tradition of marking the giving season by celebrating Newmarket’s Community Angels — the people whose kindness, compassion and community spirit help make our town one of the best to live in the country.
Newmarket’s Chris Cartwright wants to give back to the community with every bit of time he can manage.
The Realtor has become a mainstay of the Newmarket Food Pantry, serving on the board for more than a decade. When not serving in that capacity, Cartwright also volunteers and raises money for causes like Easter Seals, Abuse Hurts and CHATS.
In a role with some flexibility, Cartwright said he wants to do as much as he can to give back to the community.
“I do have that ability. I just want to make sure that I keep helping out in the community as much as possible,” he said. “That’s never going to change for me.”
He said much of his volunteerism stems from a community golf tournament he started about 15 years ago. He said the community came together in a great way, but he wanted to find a way to also give back and help in his own way.
Cartwright first got involved with the food pantry about a decade ago and was introduced to it at its previous Main Street location. He said he had the time to volunteer then, recounting how it had helped people close to him when he was younger.
“I had several friends utilizing the Newmarket Food Pantry. For me, I had really been in that mode of giving back,” he said. “Instantly, as I started working at the food pantry, meeting the amazing people there and realizing the impact it has on the community … the passion grew quite quickly.”
Over his years with the food pantry, Cartwright said he has been astounded by how fantastic the community is at giving back.
But he said he gets something out of giving his time.
“Being able to help our local community members is something that is so fulfilling,” he said. “As much as I can do, I want to make sure that I’m doing it. I can sometimes spread myself pretty thin … but I try to make sure that I utilize as much time as possible to give back.”
Besides the Newmarket Food Pantry, Cartwright has been involved in several charitable causes over the years. He became a big booster of Easter Seals in the past couple of years, participating as a contestant for its Dancing with the Stars fundraising event and coming back as a judge the following year.
Seeing one of the summer camps Easter Seals has for kids with disabilities made an impact on Cartwright.
“That’s when it sunk in for me, and that’s when I was like, ‘I’m all in on Easter Seals, too,’” he said. “After that, I went full force on raising as much money as possible.”
Beyond that, Cartwright has continued to organize an annual charity golf tournament, raising money for different charities over 15 years, including SickKids, Abuse Hurts, the Newmarket Food Pantry and more. His realty office also sponsors a number of community events and groups throughout town.
“It just really feels good to help out as much as possible,” he said.
