Colorado Project Wildfire

On the heels of what is now the most destructive fire in Colorado history, we wanted to share our association’s response to this disaster, as well as our Colorado Project Wildfire efforts to educate homeowners about wildfire preparedness.

RAISING MONEY FOR VICTIMS

First, and most obvious, are our efforts to raise money for victims. As you’ve likely already heard, the CAR Foundation has established the Boulder County Fire Relief Fund for the victims of the Marshall and Middle Fork fires. Over the last two months, individual Colorado REALTORS® across the state donated a total of $200,545 to the Boulder County Fire Relief Fund, which includes $51,096 raised by REColorado through their matching gift fundraiser, with the organization coming to the table with a $25,000 matching gift.

"It is through this Relief Fund that we as REALTORS® can have a direct impact on victims of these catastrophic fires," Ulrich Salzgeber, Chair of Colorado Project Wildfire.

CAR Leadership and the CAR Foundation pledged $80,000 to create an“immediate need” grant fund to provide housing-related relief assistance to those impacted. If you’ve already made your tax-deductible financial contribution to this fund, thank you, and if you haven’t, please consider contributing to the CAR Foundation by clicking here. It is through this Relief Fund that we as REALTORS® can have a direct impact on victims of these catastrophic fires.

In addition, the CAR Foundation has been awarded a $2 million grant from the REALTORS® Relief Foundation to be distributed to victims of the December 2021 fires. Funded through donations from REALTORS® and REALTOR® organizations and administered by the CAR Foundation, the grant will provide eligible applicants up to $3,000 of assistance per household impacted by the recent fires. A total of 466 applications have been received so far, with aid distributed to 238 households for a grand total of $563,831 distributed, with more funds headed out to families expected in the weeks ahead.

Grant details and the online application are available at: https://bit.ly/CARBOCOFireRelief. Application requests will be accepted until all funds have been dis-

tributed or until April 8, 2022. Please get this information out to anyone you know who may have been directly impacted by these fires.

SHARE YOUR REALTOR® EXPERTISE ABOUT FIRE PREPAREDNESS

Clearly, just about every Colorado resident is now realizing “this could happen where I live.” We know that well over 50% of our state’s population lives in a wildfire-prone area, and that the threat of wildfire is a part of all Coloradan’s lives.

One of the best outcomes we can hope for is to share the information and resources our REALTOR® family has created with our clients, neighbors, and friends so that all of us can try to protect our homes and lives. We encourage you to visit our Colorado Project Wildfire website to gain access to this information and help you be the source to your clients and community network. Our website includes a wide range of toolkit resources, including:

• Downloadable Property and Insurance Wildfire Preparedness Guide (also available in hard copy), • Emergency Alert Sign Ups • Tip sheets on Making Your Home Fire Resistant • Action Guide checklists for wildfire evacuations and mitigation recommendations.

There are also links to many local, state, and federal agencies and organizations with the resources you and your clients need to help protect their property and themselves.

WE WANT TO HELP IN YOUR COMMUNITY

In addition, we are actively looking to engage with each of you to create and/or enhance wildfire mitigation programs in your local community. If you have interest in establishing a program in your market or grow the one you already have, we’d love to share our experiences to create an effective local program. There are also additional resources, including Colorado Project Wildfire Grant opportunities.

As our most engaged members of the association and our industry, you are our greatest ambassadors. We look forward to working with you to help establish and grow our Colorado Project Wildfire reach, and we ask that you please contact us with your questions and willingness to be a part of the solution in your community.

Sincerely,

Ulrich Salzgeber Sarah Thorsteinson Chair Vice Chair