Let's show America what Realtors are made of !

Posted at 2:04 AM, Sep. 1, 2005

REALTORS all over the country are ready to pitch in and help fellow REALTORS and citizens in those areas seriously affected by Hurricane Katrina.

Here's a glimpse at some of the postings appearing today, August 31, 2005 on several of the listservs maintained by InternetCrusade, notably RealTalk and e-PROTalk. 

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As I watch in disbelief the pictures of devastation coming from the vulnerable belly of our nation, of a vibrant city destroyed, the area's

citizens now homeless refugees in a land of plenty, I see firsthand the spirit of outreach and caring we Americans possess, both individually and at the corporate level...

"Dear Associates,
RE/MAX Allegiance has donated $10,000.00 to The American Red Cross for the Hurricane Katrina relief effort. We strongly encourage everyone associated with RE/MAX Allegiance to donate something ...
Sincerely, Charlie Bengel
Chairman - RE/MAX Allegiance"

... and I am proud.

Donate where and what your heart dictates, but do give. This disaster will drain more than any levee could begin to contain.

Rani Covington, CRS, e-PRO, JIM66 -- "Ronnie"
RE/MAX Allegiance ~ Serving Northern Virginia
 www.RaniCovington.com
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Peggy,

Responses like yours to the devastation in our Gulf Coast states is very heartening.  We had a call yesterday from Joy Lane, an AE in Concord,  North Carolina as well offering assistance from her board.  I am in an area that was only mildly impacted by Katrina and I have power & sporadic internet & e- mail  We haven't been able to hear from our MS AEs in areas from Meridian (90 miles south of us) and towns further south like Hattiesburg, Gulport, Biloxi etc.  We are very concerned and praying they are all safe, but we wait to hear as we are unable to contact them. Our State Association is working to set up a disaster relief fund.  Their office is in Jackson and most there are without power as well, so we are limited at this time as to what we can do. We will be in contact

concerning this.  In the meantime, we ask for your continued prayers for those affected.

Lois Laird
Executive Officer
Golden Triangle Association of REALTORS
Columbus, MS

---------- Original Message -----------
> Is there anything the AE's across the country can do to help the AE's
> in the areas devastated by Katrina?
>
> I know NAR has their relief fund, but I would be willing to donate > specifically to an AE fund to help out fellow AE's.
>
> Peg
>
> Peggy J. Kayser, CAE CIPS RCE
> Chief Executive Officer
> REALTOR(r) Association of NorthWest Chicagoland
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I am an AE in Lafayette, Louisiana which is only 120 miles west of New Orleans.  We are doing fine here but our community of 125,000 people has been greatly affected by the devastation in New Orleans.  I don't know where Missy Whittington, the AE in New Orleans is right now - hopefully safe somewhere with her family.  Cellular phone service is difficult to use.  Over 1 million people are homeless and scattered all over the state.  They have lost everything they owned except the few clothes they may have brought with them when they evacuated, expecting to come home several days later to a damaged New Orleans, but not a completely destroyed city.
 

I know personally because my son, wife and daughter have (had) a home there that has over 8 feet of water in it.  However, they are one of the "lucky" ones because they can stay with us and they have careers that can be mobile.  I have had calls asking what people can do to help.  We don't know yet.  To give you a feel for what is happening, I can tell you that the emotions are similar to 911.  It's unbelievable and there is no one we can blame or be mad at like 911.  Everyone is doing what they can, but it never seems enough because there is so much devastation to lives and property.  People have no homes or jobs to return to. NAR has graciously started a fund and so has the Louisiana Realtors, but I'm not aware of AE fund.  However, thank you for your concern but I think these funds will help everyone. 

This is not just a New Orleans tragedy or a state tragedy, it is a national tragedy of larger proportions than I think we can even imagine

at this time. I'm not sure what else I can say.

Mary Jane Bauer, CEO ePRO
REALTOR Association of Acadiana
1819 W. Pinhook, Ste.115
Lafayette, LA 70508
Phone: (337) 233-0086  Fax: (337) 234-0663

www.LafayetteRealtor.com
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As I mentioned before, we are organizing a fundraiser for hurricane relief, but in the meantime a couple of our members - Dan Norman and

Gerry Staninger (and possibly more?) - are heading down to Meridian, MS, with a group of 60 to serve meals (approx. 11,000 per day) to those in need.AWAR is giving $100 from the Community Action Committee fund to help pay for gas for the trip. As we all know, that doesn't buy much gas these days... Anyone who would like to contribute to help with transportation costs for their trip may drop off a check at Martin Real Estate or the AWAR office. PLEASE NOTE that checks should be made out to FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH and should be dropped off by TOMORROW (Thurs, Sept. 1).
Thanks!

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We are hearing from the Salvation Army workers near Ground Zero in Mississippi that their number 1 priority is Sports Drinks like Gatorade.
Apparently they are getting lots of water - but need gatorade, propel,etc because of the severe dehydration of workers and residents.  The government has stores of water, diapers, clothing, MRE's - but apparently the warehouses don't have enough sports drinks.

Kathie Moore
Crye-Leike REALTORS
Franklin, TN
615-351-4736
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>> " ... One of our local radio stations filled up an 18 wheeler with bottled water and it's on it's way ..."

A word (or two) of caution. Some may be aware of the terms "car jacking" or "highway robbery" etc.

Sending supplies into an area such as the Gulf Coast devastation isextremely risky. People (who may be, or think they may be dying of

thirst) will not politely stand in line to accept a bottle or two of bottled water. A vehicle may not even successfully get anywhere near the destination before they are waylaid, or perhaps killed for the cargo.

Dan Wild
Las Vegas, Nevada
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I am so glad someone else is thinking about the animals.  Sometimes in dealing with the human problems we forget there are pets in need too.Not being there and directly affected is one reason but I'm sure the families who are missing their pets are scared and grieving for them. On television I have seen several dogs and cats on roofs of flooded homes.  They can't help themselves but we can.

Any assistance we can give to rescue, house and feed these animals will be put to good use and hopefully a family will can be reunited with their beloved pet.I have made my donation at the Humane Society of NW Louisiana via the link provided below by Ann Cummings.  I know we are all giving at this time but imagine your pet lost, confused, hungry, thirsty and possibly hurt.  I think we can all find a few more dollars to spare for the animals if we do that.Karen Rhodes, ABR, e-PRO Certified, BB-99 Realty Center/GMAC Chattanooga,

TN http://KarenRhodes.com 
 
Ann Cummings said:

>
> "If you are an animal lover and want a place to donate money that will  help the devastated pet population please consider these groups.  They are on the ground doing important work right now.
>
> http://www.hsnwla.org/

> If you are an evacuated resident of the Gulf Coast and you need somewhere to house your pet, please bring them to the LSU-S campus in southeast Shreveport. Click here for a map to the location. The Humane Society of Northwest Louisiana has partnered with the Louisiana

Veterinary Medical Association, the Krewe of Barkus and Meoux, Caddo Caring Canines, and Animal Welfare, Inc to set up an emergency shelter for pets of all sizes at no charge to you.

> Also   http://www.noahswish.org/index.htm
> http://www.hsus.org/  "

This information came from Lynda Bloom in Maryland, for those who remember her on RealTalk in the past.
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Thanks to all of you who have contacted me privately and my apologies to you who prefer not to have non-education business on the REEAline.
 
My family and I are fine.  We had lots of rain and wind and some tree damage but my lot is  almost 20 feet above sea level so there has been no flooding in my neighborhood and the streets are also dry.  We can reach doctors, food and all other necessities.  Our electricity was restored Tuesday night and we have sporadic telephone service.We are and will be working to make the thousands of evacuees from the New Orleans area as comfortable as we can until more permanent arrangements can be made for them.  So many of my friends and relatives are from the low lying areas and have no idea whether their homes or jobs will ever be restored.  Usually when this many Cajuns get together there's a party of Biblical proportions but today there's no partying going on. Even those of us who do not live in the close area have life long memories connected to New Orleans.  It is hard to comprehend that the places and some of the people that we've enjoyed and taken for granted have been destroyed.
Carmel Streater
(High and dry in Baton Rouge)
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Vikki, our prayers are with you, and we love you too!  Please stay in touch. I Just talked to my husband who is en route as we speak with airboats, ATV's, and a couple helicopters...    they will do search and rescue, along with body recovery (eeuuuwww!) He said it is will be so bad that he won't be able to call me anymore, and gave me a central command post number to call for the Sheriff's

office in case I get worried about him without any word for weeks. Stay smart, don't try to go where you shouldn't be, let others handle

that. I know you are concerned and want to help, but the last thing we need is you getting hurt!  Stay where you are and do like I'm doing, form a coalition to help others, spearhead a relief effort, send money, but do not try to go where there is danger.

Much Love and stay safe!!!

Paula Bean
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Sarah, you are NOT "too far out".  Hopefully, by tonight, a website donated by the Internet Crusade will be open for this sort of thing. 

Also, courtesy of IC and Real Town, we've started http://katrinablog.realtown.com, also in its infant stages. 

Mary Kay Hopkins,

John's note:

Mary Kay is too modest. She is the driving force behind the blog and a campaign to address the tremendous housing needs that face the area.

John

-----Original Message-----
From: Sarah Rummage [mailto:SarahRummage@comcast.net]
-
It's wonderful to respond to immediate needs.  Those impacted by the storm can't think beyond their immediate need for a drink of clean water.  They probably can't think of their future right now, past today. But, I am thinking of another way we, who are in the housing business, might help.....that is, if the city has to be evacuated to repair the infrastructure, and residents have to relocate to other cities for housing and jobs.  John and I have been thinking that we could probably make available 1, maybe 2, small dwellings for temporary
housing to someone who needs to resettle.   What do you think?  Isthis getting too far out there in the social services, rather than real

estate, field?  Does anyone else have dwellings/condos that you know of to be vacant and available for a couple month's use?

Interesting thing.....I sold a foreclosed property and we closed a couple of weeks ago.  The buyer emailed me today that she has a house full of evacuees from New Orleans, and that they want something to do and she has them working on the house.  They are glad to be useful. Also, she may move them and their pets into the house if they have to stay awhile.  It also has a fenced yard for the dogs......how convenient!

Sarah and John Rummage
Keller Williams Realty - Green Hills
Nashville, TN 37215-2033

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Vikki,

Our thoughts and prayers are with your, your family, and your friends and

neighbors. 

Your post speaks volumes for your resilience.   Good luck with your trip
home; I know it will be difficult.  My office was 3 blocks from the WTC,

and I was in shock for over 3 months.  Be patient, and be honest with

your feelings.  Believe me; things will get better.

Sally Hardman, REALTORR, ABR, e-PRO
Century 21 Island Development Company
St. Simons Island, GA
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From: "Sally Hanson"

 I have just e-mailed our brokerage president and here is what we would

like to do....While we cannot do this for the whole country, I am happy

to do balloons and ties at cost for anyone else.
 
    - We will donate Orange & Black Balloons and Closure Strings to all

FWG offices statewide for use on a     publicized open house weekend tied

to Open House Signs (Just tell us the quantity)
         - In Newspaper, Our Website, Any Agent's website we would

advertise that any home with balloons can be a location for donating

------------; We are finding out most needed besides money to the  Red

Cross and if we get food or other donations make sure we have a way to

get them there....otherwise  we would restrict it to money.
       - We can have our print shop print signs for all offices as

donation points for the month of Sept.
       - Send press releases to TV, Radio and Newspaper - Most effective

would be with the balloons filled with  helium and delivered....David & I

would do that locally.
       -  Challenge the WRA Agents to donate $x per transaction written

or closed in Sept. and further take this challenge to NAR
        - Creative fund raisers welcome...hot dog roasts for Tues.

Meeting..blind auction
        -  This doesn't take a lot of time or effort on any one person's

part and it can mean soooo much to sooo many who are truly in need.
 
  I  CHALLENGE RT-ers $100 a closed transaction Or written contract in

September to be donated
 
             Let's show America what Realtors are made of !
 
                       Sally K. Hanson, ABR, e-pro
                         www.HansonRealEstate.Net
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Hi to all

I donate blood - this is a wakeup call for me to go to the blood bank.

Regards  Sherry
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I just wanted to dash out a quick email before I hit the road.  While many Realtors are members in Kiwanis, Rotary, or other community groups....my civic duties and talents lead me to People and Paws Search & Rescue. We are a 100% volunteer K9 search and rescue team based out of Milwaukee, WI.  We primarily respond to incidents within a 3hr drive time of Milwaukee, however on occasion, we have been requested to travel further.  For those of you in the Milwaukee and Chicago areas, we were recently on multiple TV stations and some newspapers for organizing Wisconsin's first K9 "Play Day" and bringing together K9 Urban Search and Rescue resources from all over the
Midwest to work and train at our rubble training facility in Butler, WI. (NW corner of Milwaukee)

This evening (Wednesday) we received an official request to deploy to the New Orleans area.  We will be leaving tomorrow morning as soon as the trailers and trucks are packed.  We are tentatively expected to be there for a little less than a full week, only because the teams being deployed to this area must be 100% self-sufficient (food, water, shelter) for the near future.  Because of the distance we are traveling, we are somewhat limited in our cargo.

What our team does need is donations.  As a 100% volunteer team, the members support our finances through yearly dues as well as the occasional corporate gift and fundraising when we attend public events.  Because this incident is a far greater distance than we normally deploy to, it has quickly added to our costs.  As well as being an extended deployment.

After you have donated to the Red Cross (my favorite) and if you have a few dollars left over, I and my team would greatly appreciate it if you would visit our website at www.peopleandpaws.org and make a small (or large) tax deductible donation.  If you have any additional questions about our team, or on making donations, you can contact one of our team leaders, Lynn Gardiner at (414) 531-4098, she will be staying behind with a part of our team to cover anything that happens at home, to coordinate the teams fundraising activities, and as our Public Information Officer to keep the media updated.  If you office would like to make a donation, please contact Lynn, she can supply a letter for tax purposes.

My company has started by donating $300 to our team and effective immediately, will donate $100 per closed transaction to the American Red Cross for the foreseeable future.  I can't tell you how much it would be appreciated if everyone found it in their heart to make even a $10 or $20 donation to our team.

All donations go strictly for the purpose of training, equipment, and to defray unexpected costs of our deployments.

I will update everyone when I return sometime next week, please keep myself, my team, and the people of the affected areas in your prayers.

God Bless.

Sincerely,

Chris Schlechta
Vice President, REALTOR
American Homes Realty, Inc.
1015 S. Green Bay Rd
Racine, WI 53406
***********************  Sorry if RT gets any of my autoresponder messages

John's note:

Don't worry about the auto replies, Chris, I'll take care of those. You take care of yourself and your wonderful team.
I'll add your link - www.peopleandpaws.org - to the blog at http://KatrinaBlog.RealTown.com