COLUMBUS, Ohio (May 6, 2025)— The 21st annual REALTOR® Care Day will take place throughout central Ohio on Wednesday, June 11. REALTOR® Care Day is sponsored by Columbus REALTORS® and the Columbus REALTORS® Foundation, in partnership with over 20 area real estate associations and industry partners.
This year, the Van Buren Shelter, operated by the YMCA of Central Ohio and funded by the Community Shelter Board, will serve as this year’s “Main Project,” which will be led by the Columbus REALTORS® Foundation.
The Van Buren Shelter, located at 595 Van Buren Drive, Columbus, OH 43223, is one of the largest shelters in the nation, capable of serving between 600 and 800 individuals each night. The shelter provides services under one roof for three groups: single adult women, families with dependent children, and single adult men.
REALTOR® Care Day volunteers can choose from a variety of service options, ranging from outdoor activities such as landscaping and playground repair, raised garden bed refurbishment, and property beautification, to indoor tasks like building maintenance, creating personal hygiene baskets, and organizing facility storage areas.
“REALTOR® Care Day is such an inspiring day,” said Columbus REALTORS® President Buffie Patterson. “To have so many of our members spread across central Ohio, making a difference in their communities, is extraordinary.”
“Columbus REALTORS® and the Columbus REALTORS® Foundation are excited to partner with the Van Buren Center. They play a vital role in providing services and shelter to our unhoused community. Facilities like the Van Buren Center help our housing-insecure community get back on their feet and onto the path to stable housing.”
Columbus REALTORS® members can register for the REALTOR® Care Day Main Project by completing thisregistration form. Members may choose to work the morning shift (9 a.m.- 12 p.m.) or the afternoon shift (12 p.m. – 3 p.m.). Lunch will be provided to all volunteers. If you would like to volunteer for a local area real estate association or industry partner project, you can email their respective point of contact. Those projects will be announced on May 13.
As always, we request that volunteers wear their official REALTOR® Care Day t-shirts. New shirts are available forpurchase hereat just $10. If you have a REALTOR® Care Day T-shirt from a previous year, that may also be worn. As a reminder, brokerage or other branded T-shirts are not permissible at any REALTOR® Care Day site, whether for an area association project or the main project. This is the one day each year when we set aside our brokerage flags and unite under the REALTOR® flag for a day of service to our community. We thank you all for your participation in helping to make REALTOR® Care Day one of the longest-running and most successful annual days of service in the nation.
Area Association Projects
Bexley Eastmoor Berwick
Contact Aaron Irwin for the location | 9am - 4pm
Project: Planting flowers and cleaning up trash around the Bexley and Berwick neighborhoods, as well as providing services to a local community member.
Contact: Aaron Irwin |[email protected]| (614) 315-4339
Big Walnut Area Realty Association
1001 W Cherry St., Sunbury, OH 43074 | June 6, 9am - 12pm
Project: Make blankets for My Very Own Blanket, providing handmade blankets to children in foster care. There will also be a canned good food drive.
Contact: Kristie Garner |[email protected]| (614) 746-4411
CCIIR
Mulby Place, 2420 Cleveland Avenue, Columbus, OH 43211 | 9am - 4pm
Project: They will be placing large planters and perennials on the patio of each common area, while also tending to raised garden beds and hanging artwork throughout each building.
Contact: Travis McIntyre |[email protected]| (614) 332-4576
Columbus REALIST Association
2505 N Cassady Ave. Columbus, OH 43216 | 9am - 2pm
Project: Landscaping and planting a community garden for the Howard Community Center.
Contact: Anna McCurdy |[email protected]| (614) 353-8358
Delaware County Board of Realtors
Contact Teresa Kinney for the location | 9am - 12pm
Project: Fixing up the home of a local caregiver.
Contact: Teresa Kinney |[email protected]| (740) 815-3320
GCARA
171 E. 5th Ave., Columbus, OH 43201 | June 12 at 9am
Project: Building and delivering beds for children in need with the Bed Brigade.
Contact: Kelly Hamilton |[email protected]| (614) 746-3881
Greater Dublin Realtor Association
7032 Hospital Dr. Dublin, OH 43016 | 9am - 2pm
Project: Donate to One Dublin’s Community Free Shop, that offers free supplies to any child in the Dublin School District
Contact: Bonnie Johnson |[email protected]| (614) 361-8958
Greater Worthington Area Real Estate Association
700 Morning St, Worthington, OH 43085 | 9am - 12pm
Project: They will provide spring landscape work, including the addition of 10 Rose of Sharon shrubs, and the repair or removal of the back fence along the property of American Legion.
Contact: Michelle Groff |[email protected]| (614) 560-1014
Hilliard Area Realtors Association
5425 Center St., Hilliard, OH 43026 | June 10, 9am - 4pm
Project: Organize Hilliard Arts Center’s storage area and create a backstage space for costume and makeup application, by adding two private changing rooms. An accessibility ramp will also be added to the stage.
Contact: Brian Benadum |[email protected]| (614) 332-9210
Licking County Northern Association
470 W Church St, Newark, OH 43055
Project: Deliver 250 water bottles and 250 water bottles filled with hygiene goods to the YMCA for their annual Summer Camp.
Contact: Bridgid Davis-Ray |[email protected]| (614) 425-4443
Lewis Center Realty Association
1001 W Cherry St., Sunbury, OH 43074 | June 6, 9am - 12pm
Project: Make blankets for My Very Own Blanket, providing handmade blankets to children in foster care. There will also be a canned good food drive.
Contact: Matt Mitchell |[email protected]| (614) 657-3939
Marion Area Association
233 W Church St, Marion, OH 43302 | 4pm - 6pm
Project: They will host a food drive at MarionNaz.
Contact: Christine A Hinton |[email protected]| (614) 323-0747
Marysville Area Realty Association
1041 Maple St., Marysville, OH 43040 | 9am
Project: They are pairing up with three local organizations, collecting donations and buying large needed items for Marysville Food Pantry, Union County Humane Society, and Neighbor2Neighbor. On REALTOR Care Day, MARA will begin packing the items collected and delivering. Drop locations for donations are the Marysville branches of Heart of Ohio Title, Coldwell Banker, Keller Williams, and Howard Hanna.
Contact: Katie Crocco |[email protected]| (614) 203-1984
Mid-Town Area Real Estate Association
1490 E. Main St, Columbus, OH 43205 | 9am - 2pm
Project: Landscaping and painting classrooms for Saint Vincent Family Services.
Contact: Court Chapman |[email protected]| (614) 805-5700
New Albany Realtors Association (NARA)
Contact Natasha Petroff for the location | 9am - 12pm
Project: Partnering with New Albany Food Pantry, they will be providing spring exterior maintenance and upkeep to the home of a local family who has recently been impacted by an unexpected medical hardship.
Contact: Natasha Petroff |[email protected]| (216) 832-5446
North Area Real Estate Association (NAREA)
48 E N Broadway, Columbus, OH 43214 | 9am - 1pm
Project: Painting, cleaning, and giving North Broadway United Methodist Church’s community room a new look.
Contact: Sharon Young |[email protected]| (614) 783-1945
Powell Area Realty Association
10272 Sawmill Pkwy, Powell, OH 43065 | 10 - 12 p.m. / 1 - 2 p.m. / 4 - 5:30 p.m.
Project: Members are volunteering their time and energy during one of our three shifts throughout the day. Whether they are cleaning up the grounds or supporting a powerful art therapy experience, their presence will bring joy and support to the residents and staff at Ganzhorn.
Contact: Lori Swanson |[email protected]| (614) 915-6544
Tri-County Area Realty Association
8100 Hazelton-Etna Rd SW, Pataskala, OH 43062 | 9am - 4pm
Project: Painting Pataskala Church of Nazarene’s Storehouse for Jesus food pantry.
Contact: Dani Patterson |[email protected]| (614) 406-9068
Westerville Area Association
313 N State St., Westerville, OH 43082 | 12pm - 2pm
Project: They have adopted two soon-to-be moms and are throwing them each baby showers, donating items in need to accommodate their housing. There will be a social diaper drive following the baby showers for Mommies Matter.
Contact: Brynn Holden |[email protected]| (614) 736-8378
REALTOR® Care Day is funded through the Columbus REALTORS® Foundation, a non-profit, public charity corporation recognized under section 501(c)(3) of the IRS internal revenue code. Your donation is tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law, less the value of any goods or services received in return for the donation. Donors are advised to consult legal or tax counsel concerning their own tax situation. EIN: 46-4401521
