VIRGINIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS LAUNCHES ALLIANCE WITH HOMES FOR OUR TROOPS
President Deborah Baisden announces fundraising effort that results in $61,175 donation to help provide homes for injured Veterans
GLEN ALLEN, VA – August 5, 2015 – (RealEstateRama) — The Virginia Association of REALTORS® (VAR) kicks off its first year-long sponsorship of Homes for Our Troops (HFOT) with a $10,000 contribution towards the total $61,175 raised in support of the nonprofit that operates nationally to build mortgage-free homes for severely injured post-9/11 Veterans, enabling them to rebuild their lives.
REALTOR® members of VAR’s 2015 Leadership Academy selected Homes for Our Troops as a class project to emphasize the role of REALTORS® in impacting the lives of their neighbors. The Leadership Academy members initiated a fundraising effort that included outreach to local REALTOR® associations, co-workers, family, friends and members of their respective communities throughout the Commonwealth.
This new sponsorship and partnership with HFOT is part of VAR’s ongoing commitment to advocating for housing opportunity and community enhancement, and especially to ensuring that safe and secure homes are available to Virginia’s Veterans and active duty military. Nearly ten percent of Virginia’s eight million residents are Veterans or members of the Armed Services.
In approving a corporate regional sponsorship of Homes for Our Troops to complete the Leadership Academy class fundraising effort, 2015 VAR President Deborah Baisden said, “REALTORS® are the ambassadors of their communities and on the frontlines of what is fundamental to the comfort of each and every one of our fellow Virginians. A home is more than walls and roof – it is a place to heal, to grow, to connect. We are dedicated to finding each family the right place to live, especially these heroes.”
CEO of Homes for Our Troops, retired Major General Timothy McHale, comments, “We are thrilled to welcome the partnership of the Virginia Association of REALTORS® and individual REALTORS® nationwide. This support means that more Veterans will be able to live in the homes that suit their needs and that their families will have the opportunity to thrive in comfortable environments.”
In ten years of operation, Homes for Our Troops has completed over 190 homes for the nation’s most severely injured Veterans, many of whom suffer from multiple amputations, varying levels of paralysis, blindness, and traumatic brain injury. Empowered by the freedom a mortgage-free and specially adapted home brings, HFOT Veterans can focus on their recovery and returning to their life’s work of serving others.
The VAR Leadership Academy selectively enrolls REALTORS® every other year to enhance their personal and professional development, with a special group project at the core of the class experience.
The Virginia Association of REALTORS® is the largest professional trade association in the state, representing approximately 30,000 REALTORS® engaged in the residential and commercial real estate business. VAR serves as an advocate for homeownership and homeowners and represents the interests of property owners in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Note: The term REALTOR® is a registered collective membership mark that identifies a real estate professional who is a member of the National Association of REALTORS® and subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics.
Contact: Christine Hodges
Chief of Marketing & Communications
Virginia Association of REALTORS®
Christine (at) VARealtor (dot) com
Office: (804) 525-2947
