Realtors® raise more than $61,000 for charities

Twenty-six Realtor® organizations participated in volunteer activities as part of Realtors® Reach Out in October. The associations raised more than $61,000, collected more than 2,700 pounds of food, provided 445 Thanksgiving dinner bags and donated hundreds of coats as part of the month-long program.

“Realtors® are very community-oriented,” said PAR President Todd Umbenhauer. “They not only work to protect homeowners and their rights, but they volunteer to help make their communities a better place to live. Every year, I’m amazed at the creative ways they all find to give back to their neighbors.”

Local associations sponsored a variety of activities from food drives to charity dinners, to coat drives, to packaging meals for those experiencing food insecurities.

In addition, PAR sponsored a virtual food drive for the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank throughout October, raising $260. Members can still give online to the food bank, which serves 900 soup kitchens, shelters and food pantries in 27 central Pennsylvania counties, through Nov. 13.

Suburban West Realtors® Association Chair Ken Enochs said, “As Realtors®, we are always striving to find ways to give back to the communities that we live and work in. The Annual Winter Coat Drive to benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Philadelphia is an example of one of many events that we do throughout the year as an organization. Our priority is to continue to build and strengthen our members as well as the communities they serve.”

For the third year, the Realtors® Association of York and Adams Counties held its Homeless Outreach Project in York. More than 100 homeless and near-homeless people attended the event, surpassing previous attendance.

Selina Robinson, RAYAC Hands on Helpers Committee chair, said, “The Homeless Outreach Project is a wonderful community event. A variety of service providers come together under one roof to offer services to the homeless and near-homeless population in our community. There were providers onsite to help with benefit assistance, housing assistance, assistance with obtaining birth certificates and IDs, as well as shampooing and haircuts. Visitors were also served two hot meals and were able to leave with a boxed lunch and a bag of necessities. The main goal is to help people connect with the providers who can assist them with getting their lives back on track. We were able to help over 100 people that day. It is a wonderful thing to be able to give back to the people facing hardship in our own backyard.”

Greater Harrisburg Association of Realtors® members volunteered with New Hope Ministries, Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, Cocoa Packs and Rebuilding Together.

“We truly care about the communities we serve and feel a duty to give back. We’re happy we can lend a hand and hope that we can do even more in the future to support the people in central Pennsylvania,” said Derek Bicksler, president of the Greater Harrisburg Association of Realtors® Foundation. Bicksler has repeatedly volunteered with Central Pennsylvania Food Bank.

Associations sponsoring Realtors® Reach Out activities include: