REALTORS® Take the Lead Before the Need By John Pierpoint
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here is no question that REALTORS® have a passion for giving back, and that generous spirit was never more evident than in the hours following the September 11, 2001, attacks on our nation. Our world as we knew it was shaken to its core and REALTORS® jumped into action to create the REALTORS® Relief Foundation (RRF), raising $8.4 million from REALTORS® and others, vowing that no American should be at risk of losing their home because of the loss of a breadwinner in a terrorist attack on American soil. Post 9/11, RRF’s commitment evolved to also provide assistance to those whose homes have been damaged or destroyed by disaster. As someone deeply and personally affected by 9/11, 2021 National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) President Charlie Oppler has made the RRF a top priority during his tenure. “Today, the REALTORS® Relief Foundation continues to respond to the nation’s biggest disasters, ensuring that Americans 66 December 2021 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE
have a roof over their heads and a place they can call home even in the worst of times. RRF embodies a history of giving back and a future of paying it forward, and as it is called upon with increasing frequency to respond to natural disasters, the role it plays becomes even more critical.”
Looking Back For the last 20 years, during times of heartbreak, REALTORS® have never failed to step up and support the RRF because That’s Who We R. The RRF and the thousands of victims of disasters who’ve benefited from that generosity will be forever grateful. Whether a tornado in Arkansas, a flood in Michigan, fires in California or this year’s Hurricane Ida—affecting states from Louisiana to New York—when disaster strikes, our REALTOR® family instantly goes to work, sending money to RRF so the foundation can quickly help affected families and their communities. In fact, the RRF has helped more than 17,000 families in 40 states and territories, and has stepped in to provide $33 million in support for over 100 natural disasters.
