Bottled Water On The Way

Posted at 1:51 PM, Aug. 31, 2005

There's a lot that can and needs to be done right now........today.... to

help out along the Gulf Coast.

NAR has set up a fund and is picking up 100% of the administrative costs

so that all the money gets to where it's needed.

One of our local radio stations filled up an 18 wheeler with bottled

water and it's on it's way as of about 2 hours ago and they're working on

a second one.

My local title company set out yesterday with a U-Haul type trailer full

of bottled water and canned foodstuffs.

Our office has a huge stack of bottled water in the lobby that we're

putting on the next truck heading south.

"REALTORS® Relief Foundation Provides Funds for Katrina Relief Effort

WASHINGTON, DC (August 30, 2005)­The REALTORS® Relief Foundation is

spearheading donations to REALTOR® associations in Alabama, Louisiana and

Mississippi this week by contributing $50,000 to each of three state

REALTOR® associations impacted by Hurricane Katrina.

REALTORS® Relief Foundation President Pat Kaplan said the initial

contributions will help fund the establishment of state relief funds.

However, much more will be needed to help the many who have lost their

homes or businesses, she said.

"There are so many on the outskirts of New Orleans who have lost

everything," says Sandy Lash, an executive at the Louisiana Association

of REALTORS® in Baton Rouge. The storm left 6-7 feet of water in areas

around New Orleans, including Metairie and Kenner, where virtually every

structure sustained damage. "It will be weeks or months before full power

is restored to these areas, and the entire water system in the area has

been compromised," says Lash.

In Alabama, communities around the Gulf, still recovering from Hurricane

Ivan a year ago, are once more digging out. "We have thousands who lost

everything in Ivan and had built their homes back up only to have them

destroyed again," says J. Danny Cooper, association executive at the

Alabama Association of REALTORS®.

NAR CEO Terrence M. McDermott is calling on REALTORS® to reach out and

help their colleagues in this time of tremendous need. "We would probably

all like to run down and pitch in and help, but since that's not

possible, we should all pray that our REALTOR® community finds the

strength to make it through this trial," he says.
"We ask that you send whatever you can to the REALTORS® Relief Foundation

and we will pass your donation along in a rush."

All administrative costs of the project will be absorbed by NAR; 100

percent of all donations will go directly to aid the victims.
Contributions can be made online through the following secure site

powered by NARs e-commerce
system:
<https://www.realtor.org/relief>https://www.realtor.org/relief
. Contributions are tax deductible. To make contributions by mail, checks

should be made payable to the REALTORS® Relief Foundation and sent to:

REALTORS® Relief Foundation, Attn: NAR Finance Division, 430 N. Michigan

Ave., Chicago IL 60611.

For those who would like to make donations directly to the states, in

Alabama please send checks payable to the Alabama REALTOR® Disaster

Relief Fund, P.O. Box 4070, Montgomery, AL 36104.
Donations can be made by credit card by calling the Alabama Association

of REALTORS® at
334/262-3808 or by going online to
<http://www.alabamarealtors.com/relief.cfm>www.alabamarealtors.com/relief.cfm
.

For Louisiana, checks payable to the Louisiana REALTORS® Association

Relief Fund should be sent to P.O. Box 14780, Baton Rouge, LA, 70898, or

to Regions Bank, attn: Louisiana REALTORS® Association Relief Fund, 5353

Essen Lane, Suite 150, Baton Rouge, LA 70809."

Jim Lee, CRS, ABR, GRI, e-PRO, e-JIM
Realty Executives Associates, Knoxville, TN
www.KnoxvilleMLS.com     mailto:JIM@JimLee.com