Daily Real Estate News  |  October 25, 2007  |   NAR Donates Half-Million to California Fire Relief
The NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORSŪ is donating a half-million dollars to aid the victims of the disastrous fires that have swept California and left hundreds of thousands of people homeless. REALTORSŪ have been early to respond to help victims of similar emergencies in the past, such as Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005 and victims of the South Asian tsunami in 2004.

NAR is also calling on its 1.3 million REALTORŪ members to contribute to the REALTORSŪ Relief Foundation, which distributes donations to these and other victims of natural disasters. The call was made today by NAR President Pat V. Combs and by Martin Edwards, president of the REALTORSŪ Relief Foundation.

“Helping people experience the American Dream of homeownership and building our communities are what REALTORSŪ are all about,” said Combs. “We understand as REALTORSŪ how rewarding it is to own your own home, and we can sympathize how devastating it must be to see that home go up in flames. For so many people to lose their homes in Southern California is heartbreaking.”

Edwards, of Memphis, Tenn., and a former NAR president, is encouraging REALTORSŪ across America to open their hearts and their pocketbooks to assist those who have lost their homes in California.

Contributions are now being accepted to the REALTORSŪ Relief Foundation, either online through NAR's secure eCommerce Web site or by mail.

To mail a contribution, make the check payable to the REALTORSŪ Relief Foundation and mail it to: REALTORSŪ Relief Foundation, Attn: NAR Finance Division, 430 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60611. Contributions are tax deductible.

The REALTORSŪ Relief Foundation was established to provide housing-related assistance to needy victims of disasters (including, but not limited to affected relief and rescue workers), and their families, and for other charitable purposes permitted under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The Foundation may elect to provide assistance primarily or solely to victims who are members of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORSŪ.

— REALTORŪ Magazine Online