Weiler Grants awarded to Northwest and DKLM groups for their 2017 REALTOR® Care Day projects

WASHINGTON, D.C. –- (RealEstateRama) — Columbus REALTORS® is proud to announce that both the Northwest Area Real Estate Association and the Delaware Knox Licking Morrow Suburban Realty Association were awarded REALTOR® Care Day Weiler grants in honor of their 2017 projects.

REALTOR® Care Day is an annual day of service to the communities in which REALTORS® live, work and raise families. This year’s event was held on June 7, 2017, with 24 groups and over 600 volunteers working on 45 projects in central Ohio and surrounding counties. Since its inception in 2005, REALTOR® Care Day has resulted in over $442,400 re-invested into our communities.

REALTOR® Care Day is funded through the Columbus REALTORS® Foundation. Area Realty 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.

The REALTOR® Care Day Weiler Grant was established in 2014 to recognize Area Realty 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. Both area realty associations will receive an additional $500 in funding which they may use towards their 2018 REALTOR® Care Day projects.

The Northwest Area Realty Association chose to help a family with financial and physical troubles to clean and fix up the exterior of their home. What started as a large landscaping project and clearing out a jungle of a backyard quickly turned into a larger project including having the exterior of the home repainted, as well as rotted wood replaced. The home could not be seen from the street and the backyard was so overgrown it couldn’t be entered.

“It was a domino effect in being able to get work done,” said Katie Davis, project coordinator and President of NWARA. “It was challenging enough to find a roofer and painter but they couldn’t even assess the home because they couldn’t see it. Then they couldn’t start until after we were done clearing the vegetation surrounding the home. Another item was just how much debris and vegetation and shrubbery we hauled away. The dumpster company we used hauled six loads away – the first weighing 3,200 pounds alone!”

Davis said the family was blown away by the generosity of the volunteers, as well as the work completed.

“They were so thankful and they were shocked and overwhelmed in a good way by the amount of people and the difference we made,” Davis said. “We not only made a difference for a family, but truly the community. We had so many neighbors stopping by and talking to us and thanking us for our work on a much needed undertaking. It was really nice to see so many happy people and the association and city and volunteers all working together to make a difference.”

For more information and pictures on Northwest’s project, click here.

Delaware-Knox-Licking Morrow Suburban Realty Association assisted a struggling elderly widow who developed breast cancer just after the passing of her daughter and her husband in a very close time span. Despite these challenges, she has continued to be an upbeat and captivating soul. In an effort to improve her quality of life, the group landscaped, trimmed trees/hedges, removed a tree, created a rock border along the house and planted grass. The DKLM group plans to stay in touch and help with future needs.

“She [the widow] was so far beyond excited for everything,” said Keri Laughery, who coordinated the project. “It really looked so beautiful and is now a peaceful place for her to enjoy her yard.”

Laughery explained that this actually wasn’t the first time this individual had been helped. The DLKM group had heard that she was overwhelmed and in need of help again, so they decided to come back and be of assistance.

“REALTOR® Care Day is just one of those things that’s about caring for the community and coming together,” Laughery said. “We’re really more than just sales people.”

For more information and pictures on DKLM’s project, click here.