WASHINGTON, October 25, 2007 -

The National Association of Realtors®, through the REALTORS® Relief Foundation, is donating a half-million dollars to help the victims of the disastrous wildfires that have swept California and left thousands of people homeless.

“Helping people experience the American Dream of homeownership and building our communities are what Realtors® are all about,” said National Association of Realtors® President Pat V. Combs, of Grand Rapids, Mich., and vice president of Coldwell Banker-AJS-Schmidt Combs. “We understand as Realtors® how rewarding it is to own your own home, and we can sympathize with how horrible it is to have that home go up in flames. For so many people to lose their homes in Southern California is heartbreaking.”

NAR is also calling on its 1.3 million Realtor® members to contribute to the REALTORS®  Relief Foundation, which distributes donations to help these and other victims of natural disasters. The call was made by Combs and REALTORS® Relief Foundation President Martin Edwards, of Memphis, Tenn.; they are encouraging Realtors® across America to open their hearts and their pocketbooks to assist those who have lost their homes in California.

“We are gratified for the rapid response by NAR in their efforts to assist Realtors®  in California and other members of the Realtor® family who have been impacted by the Southern California wildfires,” said Colleen Badagliacco, president of the California Association of Realtors®. “NAR’s contribution to our Disaster Relief Fund will go a long way in helping to mitigate the impact of the wildfires on our members and their families.”

Contributions to the REALTORS® Relief Foundation can be made online through NAR’s secure eCommerce Web site at www.realtor.org/relief. Contributions are tax deductible.

To make a contribution by mail, make checks payable to the REALTORS® Relief Foundation and send to: REALTORS® Relief Foundation, Attn: NAR Finance Division, 430 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60611.

Realtors® have been quick to respond to help victims of similar emergencies in the past, such as Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005 and the South Asian tsunami in 2004, sending supplies, volunteer labor and more than $6 million in financial assistance.

The REALTORS® 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 Realtors®.

The National Association of Realtors®, “The Voice for Real Estate,” is America’s largest trade association, representing more than 1.3 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.
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Bennington VT, Press Release

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