During this season of giving, I find myself reflecting on all the ways in which Realtors give back to the local community.
When local leadership travels to national meetings, we have the opportunity to engage in an activity that supports a local or national charity. Just last month during the National Association of Realtors convention in Boston, more than 3,000 Realtors participated in a 5K walk and run, raising more than $140,000 for the Realtors Relief Foundation.
This charitable foundation provides housing-related assistance to victims of disasters, such as the 9/11 terrorist attacks, wildfires, tornadoes, floods and hurricanes.
In addition to nationally organized efforts, Greater Chattanooga Realtors maintains local partnerships with Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga and Snack Packs for Hamilton County Schools.
Above and beyond their annual giving to these two organizations, local Realtors volunteer throughout the year to engage first-hand with these organizations to build homes, revitalize neighborhoods, and fill bags to feed children who otherwise would go hungry over the weekend.
NAR’s recently released Community Aid and Real Estate (C.A.R.E.) Report provides insight on the monetary and volunteer contributions that general members at-large and broker-owners give to society. The results show that these groups donated the most money and volunteered the largest amount of time to their local community, but also that they still supported their local Realtor Associations.
With as busy as I know my peers are assisting buyers and sellers locally, I was pleasantly surprised from the C.A.R.E. Report that:
• 66 percent of general members at-large volunteered each month.
• 67 percent volunteered specifically within the community and 17 percent volunteered with a Realtor Association on the local, state, or national level.
• 82 percent of general members at-large donated annually.
• 80 percent of general members at large donated annually to nonprofits and approximately one-third donated to their Realtors Association.
In our membership, we have Realtors who volunteer with the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, MOMentum Network, McKamey Animal Shelter, Tivoli Foundation, St. Jude, American Heart Association, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Kidney Foundation, Tennessee Aquarium, Creative Discovery Museum, and YMCA – to name a few.
I probably could fill this entire page with all the organizations to which members give their time and charitable donations. As we close out another year, I tip my hat to all my fellow Realtors, who serve as a trusted resource for current and future property owners, and as the face of making a difference in our community.
Greater Chattanooga Realtors is “The Voice for Real Estate in Greater Chattanooga.” A regional organization with more than 2,000 members, Greater Chattanooga Realtors is one of some 1,300 local boards and associations of Realtors nationwide that comprise the National Association of Realtors. Greater Chattanooga Realtors services Hamilton and Sequatchie counties in southeast Tennessee, and Catoosa, Dade, and Walker counties in northwest Georgia. More information: www.gcar.net 423 698-8001.