Healthcare Hero Community Partner Spotlight: Marquis + Farwell Real Estate Group

Healthcare Hero Community Partners are businesses who sponsor the Healthcare Foundation through an annual commitment. As mission-aligned contributors, our Healthcare Hero Community Partners support our vision of eliminating health inequities in northern Sonoma County. 

We are very pleased to welcome this year a new Healthcare Hero Community Partner in Marquis + Farwell Real Estate Group, serving Sonoma County and beyond with a focus on residential properties, luxury estates, wineries, vineyards and ranches. 

Founders and agents Samantha Marquis and Linda Farwell, in addition to heading a flourishing women-run operation, are full-time working moms who are actively engaged in their community and have made Marquis + Farwell Group a proud supporter of many local philanthropic causes.

“I’m deeply impressed by the strong spirit of philanthropy that thrives in our small town,” says Linda, who has lived in Sonoma County since 1988 and settled in Healdsburg in 1996.

Linda relates in a recent conversation that she makes it a point to support as many nonprofit organizations as possible. That includes everything from assembling gifts for new mothers with Corazón Healdsburg to gleaning or driving for Farm to Pantry, in addition to supporting organizations like Healdsburg Jazz, the Children’s Museum, the Healdsburg School, and Career Technical Education. “The remarkable quality and generosity of giving in our small town inspires me to stay actively involved,” she says, describing life in Healdsburg as “a warm embrace.”

Samantha, a Healdsburg resident since 2014, is similarly inspired by her adopted home. “From the moment I moved to Healdsburg,” she says, “I got involved.” Then a new mother, Samantha began with the Healdsburg Moms Group, through which she made new connections and discovered many philanthropic opportunities. Soon, her growing children drew her to volunteering at The Healdsburg School—“It is such a special community that you can’t help but want to dive in and be a part of it”—and the Sonoma County Children’s Museum, where she has also served as a board member. 

“This is another truly special place that honors and supports young minds,” she says of the museum. “Watching so many children connect, grow, and challenge themselves while playing in that space is something that melts my heart.”

As for supporting the goal of health equity in northern Sonoma County, Samantha and Linda each describe their strong attraction to the Healthcare Foundation’s mission.

“I initially became acquainted with the Healthcare Foundation thanks to [former Healthcare Foundation Board Chair] Barbara Grasseschi,” recounts Linda. “Because I grew up in Mexico and Central America, the opportunities that the Healthcare Foundation provides for our Latin community is very meaningful to me.”

Linda adds, “The [fundraiser] event at the Mill District several years ago was when I realized the Healthcare Foundation encompassed so much more than I had initially thought. I was deeply moved when several graduating [Mental Health Talent Pipeline scholarship] students shared their experiences of how the Healthcare Foundation had supported them in pursuing their education, enabling them to become bilingual/bicultural therapists. The belief that everyone should have access to high-quality healthcare and education resonates with me, and I appreciate that the Healthcare Foundation is dedicated to providing these opportunities.”

“I had heard about the Healthcare Foundation pretty quickly after moving to Healdsburg in 2014,” notes Samantha. “The organization definitely seems to be everywhere, supporting quality programs that are very much needed. I feel healthcare is so vital and is truly a function that is universally missing in our country. No one should have to feel scarcity when it comes to being able to support a healthy life, both physically and mentally.”

“The organization definitely seems to be everywhere, supporting quality programs that are very much needed. I feel healthcare is so vital . . . No one should have to feel scarcity when it comes to being able to support a healthy life, both physically and mentally.”

Samantha Marquis, Marquis + Farwell Real Estate Group

“Health and wellness is something everyone should have access to,” she adds. “The fact that there are people that are scared to see a doctor because of the financial burden, or who don’t even know how to find a doctor, or are afraid to go to the doctor because they think they will be deported, is such an upsetting thought. We should all be able to ensure the best quality of life through equitable support for health and wellness for ourselves and others.”

Both Linda and Samantha stress their appreciation for northern Sonoma County as a place where concern and care for one’s neighbors, and the environment, is a cultural value.

“We are very lucky to live here,” says Linda. “Not only do we have a strong, diverse, resilient community with a commitment to philanthropy and culture, but we are also surrounded by some of the most beautiful landscapes in the world which provide opportunities for so many different outdoor activities.”

“After living in a few different areas of the US, I have found my happy place in Sonoma County, and Healdsburg specifically,” agrees Samantha. “I have never come across a community as generous as this one. I truly feel that people here strive to lift each other up and connect with each other. Of course, as people we don’t always agree, but Sonoma County as a whole is always striving to do better, whether it be providing services for its residents or caring about how we treat the earth. I am proud to call this home. It is definitely one-of-a-kind.”