The Northern Jackson Board of Realtors and Multiple Listing Service have been searching for a way to make a positive financial impact on the local communities that they serve. The entire membership present at the annual organizational meeting in October voted unanimously to donate up to $2,000 per public elementary school in Jackson and Swain counties for a total of up to $14,000 for 2013.
Most people don't understand the structure Realtors work under. We belong to local and national Association of Realtors and we pay dues to be a part of these organizations. Lots of dues. So much that the Northern Jackson Board of Realtors and Multiple Listing Service (MLS) found themselves sitting on quite a hefty amount of money in their coffers. The members wanted to see the money put to good use locally to help the community that we service and depend upon for our livelihoods.
The subject of education as a recipient came when a representative from the university spoke to the Board about establishing an endowment. While that was a good idea, it would mean that we'd only be able to help a couple of students with a relatively small amount of money. Endowments are a fine idea but we wanted a larger impace on the local community.
The Board recognized that if students earlier in their schooling aren't given the tools for learning, they might never make it to college or might not even make it through high school. One member in attendance at a board meeting brought up the idea of instead of donating to a college fund for a small scholarship for just one or two adult college aged students, why not spread the wealth a little further and donate to elementary schools? The idea was a hit.
Education budgets are being whittled down all the time, leaving schools to have to do more with less. As a result, the burden of making sure schools have the supplies and the books they need fall upon teachers and parents. Oftentimes, teachers (already upderpaid) are taking personal money to be sure some of their students have pencils, paper and food to get them through the school year. Many parents are also struggling to make ends meet in their own homes and often there just isn't any extra money in their household budgets to send to school with their child to make up for those deficits.
The seven elementary schools in Jackson and Swain counties in NC were overwhelmed with the unexpected windfall from the local Realtors and each school had distinctly different needs. Some submitted requests for actual supplies such as copying paper, tape, crayons, pens, pencils, etc. Others, add to sparsely filled library shelves with much needed non-fiction books. One school asked for readers (books for the students who had no books at home) that students could take home and begin to learn the importance of books and reading.
Realtors across the country have it in their power to make great differences in people's lives. We are entrusted with the highest level of trust to help people buy and sell their homes. Contributing towards education seems like a natural. A well educated community is a healthy community and making a positive difference in local education is paying to forward in its purest form. We encourage our brother and sister Realtor associations to also investigate this form of philanthropy, in our opinions, we owe this to the communities that have always supported us.
The need is so great in our elementary schools that the Northern Jackson Board of Realtors and Multiple Listing Service members hope to make this an ongoing effort. All the members involved agreed that there was no better feeling than sharing the wealth and knowing you've made a positive impact in the community you live in and depend upon.
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