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© Shawnee Board of REALTORS®
In August, as smoke continued to rise from communities devastated by wildfires on the Hawaiian island of Maui, the REALTORS® Relief Foundation delivered $1.5 million of disaster relief aid to Hawaii REALTORS® in support of the REALTORS® Association of Maui as it works to help victims with short-term housing assistance.
As of the end of August, RRF had awarded $6.9 million this year to 18 additional state and local associations to support disaster relief efforts. Every dollar donated goes directly to help victims of natural disasters, and any association may apply for assistance after an emergency that has been declared a major disaster. Here are a few others that have done amazing work with the help of RRF funds:
Arkansas REALTORS®
REALTOR® Sherrye McCoy, GRI, helped storm victims pull their belongings from what was left of their homes, and past president of RRF Mike Ford helped draw up plans for command centers that distributed $1.75 million in RRF grant funding. They’re just two of many association members who stepped up to assist more than 860 families after an EF4 tornado struck near Little Rock and Wynne in March.
“We had the resources, we had manpower and we had the passion to pull it off,” says BJ Matthews, GRI, AHWD, director of public relations and meeting planning and director of Hearts & Homes of Arkansas Inc. at Arkansas REALTORS®.
Shawnee Board of REALTORS®, Oklahoma
“As REALTORS®, we help make dreams become a reality, and when a natural disaster comes and destroys that dream, it only made sense that the Shawnee Board of REALTORS® stepped up for our community,” says Beth Beshears, association executive.
With its own office hit by a supercell thunderstorm that produced at least 18 tornadoes in central Oklahoma, the association distributed $150,000 in funds to help more than 350 families cover a month’s mortgage or rent.
East Valley Association of REALTORS®, Redlands, Calif.
In February and March, California’s San Bernardino Mountains were buried in snow as “once-in-a-generation” storms dumped hundreds of inches of powder in various areas, causing both home damage and displacement for hundreds of families. East Valley Association of REALTORS® started small with donation drives for shovels and other snow-clearing tools, but it also applied for and received $250,000 from RRF to help homeowners.
“While we are still in shock and so sad over the loss of our home and all of our possessions due to a gas meter explosion on March 4, the kindness and concern shown to us by the EVAR truly shows us the very meaning of community outreach and support,” wrote one family who received a $2,500 grant.
