REALTORS®
in the Community
REALTORS® not only help make the dream of
homeownership a reality, they also help build better
communities. In small towns and large cities across
the globe, REALTORS® help shape and promote community
values, giving their time and effort to noble
causes. The following initiatives offer examples of
how REALTORS® are working to strengthen community
bonds:
REALTORS® and Habitat for
Humanity.
Many REALTORS® give their time
and muscle to help raise money and construct Habitat
for Humanity homes across Illinois and nationwide. A
volunteer group from Illinois was among the 30
REALTOR teams taking part in the REALTOR®-Habitat
Partnership for Gulf Coast Recovery program, in
which the National Association of REALTORS® and state
and local REALTOR® associations have committed to
generate more than $4 million to build as many as 54
houses along the Gulf Coast.
REALTORS® Relief Fund
The REALTORS® Relief Fund was
established after the tragic events of September 11,
2001. The goal was to make sure that families of
victims would not have to endure the additional pain
of losing their homes. All contributions went to
help pay rent and mortgage payments of victims’
families. Since then the REALTORS® from Illinois and
across the nation have donated money to the Relief
Fund victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the
Asian Tsunami and other important causes.
Good Neighbors
Each year the National
Association of REALTORS® awards monetary grants to 10
causes supported by individual REALTORS® around the
country. In 2006, Illinois REALTOR® Carol Sharp won
the Good Neighbor Award from a field of 350
applicants for her tireless work at the Staunton,
Illinois, Food Pantry, which received $10,000 for
food and operations. In 2007, Illinois REALTOR®
Virginia Ferry of Joliet received an award for her
36-year service to the MorningStar Mission
Ministries, a homeless shelter that provides three
meals a day, counseling, training, and job placement
to 10,000 people per year.
Partnership for
HomeOwnership
The Illinois Association of
REALTORS® nonprofit foundation the Partnership for HomeOwnership (PFHO) has helped more than 2,700
families achieve the dream of homeownership since it
was created in 1996. The program provides
face-to-face homebuyer education and financial
counseling as part of its low-interest rate mortgage
programs available for rural Illinois, Quincy area
and the Home Power Mortgage Assistance Program in
select Cook County neighborhoods.
www.pfho.org
NAR Housing Opportunity Program
NAR's Housing Opportunity Program serves as the
blueprint for REALTORS® to become leaders in
identifying, developing, advocating and promoting
business opportunities, programs, products and
resources that expand housing availability.
Diversity
REALTORS fully support the practice of equal
opportunity in fair housing. It is the REALTOR®
pledge in our strict Code of Ethics to uphold
the spirit as well as the letter of the law,
through programs, activities and training
designed to promote and further the right of
equal opportunity in housing for all. An
Illinois Association of REALTORS site,
www.thehousingsite.org, supports fair
housing in Illinois.
REALTORS® are leaders in a culturally
diverse real estate market. REALTORS® who are able to
effectively reach out to all racial and ethnic
groups in their community are not only positioned
for success, but can take pride in knowing they have
participated in the expansion of homeownership to
all Americans.
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