Columbus REALTORS® is proud to announce that both the North Area Realty Association and the Delaware County Board of Realtors were awarded Weiler grants in honor of their 2021 REALTOR® Care Day projects.
REALTOR® Care Day is an annual day of service to the communities in which REALTORS® live, work and raise families.
Although the rain on June 9 caused some projects which involved painting or staining to be postponed, there were 24 groups and almost 500 volunteers involved with REALTOR® Care Day projects all over central Ohio.
Since its inception in 2005, REALTOR® Care Day has resulted in almost $624,000 re-invested into our communities.
The REALTOR® Care Day Weiler Grant was established in 2014 to recognize Area Realty & Trade Association projects that exemplify the principles of the event which is to provide community service to those in need. The grant was named for Skip Weiler, founder of REALTOR® Care Day. By receiving this honor, both groups will have an additional $500 in funding which they may use towards their 2022 REALTOR® Care Day projects.
The Delaware County Board of REALTORS® (DCBR) went the extra mile to help the Family Promise House which provides food, shelter, and support services for families in transition in Delaware County.
Prior to REALTOR® Care Day, they power washed the wrap-around porch in anticipation of repairs and painting. On June 9, 21 volunteers created a mulched play area for children complete with bike rack.
They also planted and mulched, washed windows, doors and interior walls and scraped the porch posts, spindles and railings. However, due to the rain, volunteers had to return the following week to paint everything.
“As REALTORS®, we know the importance of having a home and our hearts go out to those in transition,” said Debbie Spenthoff, PR Chair and RCD Coordinator for the DCBR. “We wanted to help make the House more warm and welcoming for those they serve, so we purchased deck chairs, rugs and added potted plants. They were so gracious and appreciative.”
The North Area Real Estate Association (NAREA) partnered with the Clintonville Resource Center (CRC) to assist five Clintonvillians with landscaping beautification and general yard maintenance. Twenty-seven volunteers provided these homeowners with landscape cleanup, trimming, planting and mulching.
“In life and certainly in the business of real estate, we hear people say, ‘it'll be great, it's a win-win’,” said Steven Cotter, RCD project coordinator for NAREA. “For the North Area Real Estate Association, we certainly felt REALTOR® Care Day 2021 was just that, a true win-win!”
“It was a win for the homeowners who had their yards spruced up and got a chance to meet and interact with RCD volunteers. There was a real sense that homeowners were more than ready to move beyond the lockdown and isolation of the pandemic and so for the homeowners to start summer with their property spruced up and meeting some new faces, this was perfect timing.”
“The additional Win was for each of us volunteers who got some good ol' exercise, a chance to give back to our community while working side by side some old friends and making new friends.”
“REALTOR® Care Day this year and every year reminds us that the real essence of living is in giving.”
Other REALTORS® Care Day projects included:
Bexley - Served lunch from local restaurants to their fire and police departments. Clintonville – Provided exterior yard work, storm door replacement, power washing and gutter repair for 5 residents. Columbus - Cleaned up the green space for The Jefferson Avenue Center. Columbus – Outdoor cleanup, landscaping and painting massive entry doors for Trinity Episcopal Church. Delaware - Repaired/painted and enhanced the large wrap-around porch, yard and shed for the Family Promise House which provides food, shelter, and support services for homeless families in Delaware County. Dublin – Assisted three elderly homeowners with both interior and exterior projects which included garage organization, pressure washing and landscaping. Gahanna – Front porch and garage improvements as well as landscaping for a resident homeowner in need – postponed until 9/16. Grove City - Purchased/packaged school supplies for Harmon and Richard Ave. Elementary schools for students in need. Hilliard - Worked with Meals on Wheels and Senior Pet Care for Hilliard residents. Lewis Center – Delivered lunch to three hospitals, two fire stations, EMS, and Sheriff’s office using local restaurants hit hard by COVID. Linden – Provided exterior landscaping and improvements for an elderly, long term homeowner in need. They’ll return later to stain her deck. London – Yard work, planting flowers, shrubs and mulch for the Madison County Historical Society. They also ordered a new sign. Marion – Weeded, picked up trash and planted vegetables, herbs, and flowers at the Edible Forest & Community Garden in Sawyer-Ludwig Park. Marysville - Repainted the entire inside of the Union County Humane Society as well as providing pest control and trash removal for a Magnetic Springs resident. New Albany - Outdoor enhancements to property and shed, gutter repair and landscaping maintenance for a resident. Pickaway County - Supplied dumpsters at several locations for people to be able to clean up their properties. Pickerington - cleanup and area beautification at Diley Road Softball Complex will occur next week due to the rain. Powell - Warehouse maintenance for People in Need Delaware and outdoor maintenance for Second Ward Community Initiative (SWCI). Reynoldsburg - Cleanup and area beautification for Reynoldsburg Senior Citizens Center. Sunbury – Made 50 blankets for My Very Own Blanket, an organization that supports children in Foster Care. Upper Arlington - Yard cleanup, landscaping, cleaning/organizing for two residents. Westerville – Landscaping and wheelchair ramp replacement for a resident. Worthington - Helped Camp Mary Orton prepare for their summer camps by providing interior & exterior cleaning, repairs, power washing, mulching at their lodge and activity centers.
For photos, detailed project descriptions, and pictures, visitwww.ColumbusRealtors.com/RCD.
REALTOR® Care Day is funded through the Columbus REALTORS® Foundation. Area Realty and Industry Trade Associations are offered matching funds (up to $500 each) to help fund their community service efforts for this event. Additional assistance is received from many individuals and companies through in-kind donations of money, goods and services.
