Daily Real Estate News  |  September 6, 2005  |   NAR: $2.2 Million Raised for Hurricane Relief In just one week, 5,273 contributors have donated $1,056,225 to the REALTORSŪ Relief Foundation, bringing the total amount raised to $2,206,225. The donations, which includes the $1.15 million seed donation from the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORSŪ, will directly help those affected by Hurricane Katrina. All contributions made to the REALTORSŪ Relief Foundation will go to disaster relief in Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi, and NAR will absorb all administrative costs of the project. NAR launched the fund-raising drive last Tuesday, a day after Hurricane Katrina swept through the U.S. Gulf Coast, wiping out cities in the three states. Initially, NAR donated $150,000 toward relief efforts. But within a day, as the extent of the suffering and devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina became more clear, association leadership approved an additional $1 million contribution to the fund. Casualties from the hurricane are estimated in the thousands, and millions are believed to be displaced from their homes. At least 9,000 REALTORSŪ have been affected, according to NAR estimates. "More REALTORSŪ have been affected by Katrina than any other disaster in history," NAR President Al Mansell said last week in his appeal to the nation's 1.2 million REALTORSŪ. "I’m asking the REALTORŪ family to rise to the challenge, just as we did after 9/11 and the Tsunami in Southeast Asia earlier this year." Contributions are tax deductible and can be made on the secure REALTORSŪ Relief Foundation Web Site. To donate by mail, send a check, payable to the REALTORSŪ Relief Foundation, to REALTORSŪ Relief Foundation, Attn: NAR Finance Division, 430 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago IL 60611. Read More on REALTORŪ Response For more information on how REALTORSŪ can help, visit the Hurricane Katrina Relief page at REALTOR.org. Join the Online Discussion at REALTOR.org NAR also has set up a Hurricane Katrina Discussion Board at REALTOR.org for you to share ideas on how to help victims of Hurricane Katrina. —REALTORŪ Magazine Online