Contact:
Jeff Zipper, Vice President of Communications
407/438-1400, ext. 2314
JeffZ@far.org
Marla Martin, Communications Manager
407/438-1400, ext. 2326
MarlaM@far.org
FAR Recognizes Local Realtor® Associations for Board Achievement in 2004
ORLANDO, Fla., September 2004 -- The Florida Association of Realtors® (FAR) recently honored several local Realtor® boards/associations with Board Achievement Awards for 2004. These prestigious state awards were presented at FAR’s recent 88th annual Convention & Trade Expo in Orlando.
Each year, FAR presents a Board Achievement Award to one Board/Association in each size category: small (1-499 members), medium (500-999 members), large (1,000-2,499 members) and mega (2,500+ members). The criteria for the award includes how well the group meets the needs of local members, how involved the group is with the state and national Realtor organizations, and how much the group supports the community.
In the small-size category, the Sanibel & Captiva Islands Association of Realtors captured this year's Board Achievement Award. Among other accomplishments, the association created an essay contest for graduating eighth-grade students, who were asked to write about the life and/or achievements of a local resident (living or deceased) that demonstrates honor. Judges from the community selected three winners and each received a $500 U.S. savings bond. Members also participated in the associations' fifth annual local preservation project, planting a variety of native shrubs and trees to help restore food, shelter and habitat for indigenous wildlife. The organization sponsored a number of education courses, including a popular series of breakfast sessions on topics of interest to local Realtors.
The Venice Area Board of Realtors won FAR's Board Achievement Award for medium-size organizations for 2004. As a special member "get-together" event this year, the board "bought out" one evening's production of the local community theater's show of the musical "Guys and Dolls," subsidizing the cost for members. The organization also sold gift baskets to raise money for field trips and projects for the local high school's transition class of special education students. In addition, members also worked with Volunteer Connections' Paint-A-House Project, painting two homes for residents who qualified for the program's assistance. While the board offered numerous education courses and membership meetings, one of its most popular meetings was the Environmental Supervisor County's Air & Water Quality Protection program.
Winning the Board Achievement Award for a large board was the Manatee Association of Realtors, which sponsored a well-received '60's-'70's Cocktail Party and Silent Auction as a special networking event for members and fundraiser for the local Habitat for Humanity organization. The organization also offered "Realtor Jeopardy," a mini-series of educational sessions designed to educate members on issues of concern to the real estate industry while encouraging them to have fun and win prizes at the same time. Members of the Manatee association participated in numerous community activities, including raising enough money to build two homes for Habitat for Humanity, donating used computers, printers and monitors to the Police Athletic League, and supplying speakers for the local Coalition for Affordable Housing.
In the mega-size category, the Northeast Florida Association of Realtors received FAR's Board Achievement Award for 2004. This year, the association's 24th annual Realtor-Builder Lunch & Expo, co-sponsored with the local homebuilders organization, boasted a sell-out crowd of more than 1,200 attendees who came to hear national industry leaders speak on real estate and development issues, as well as how to create better partnerships for the future. The organization also partnered with one local newspaper to sponsor a free homebuying seminar for local residents and sponsored a local real estate outlook conference in cooperation with another local newspaper and the local CCIM organization. Members of the Northeast Florida association support a variety of community groups and causes, including a local battered women's shelter, numerous needy children's organizations and the annual River Cleanup Celebration. The group also stepped in at the request of the city of Jacksonville to sponsor a Bass Tournament to raise money for a new local hospice after a previous sponsor's commitment fell through.
The Florida Association of Realtors (FAR), the voice for real estate in Florida, provides programs, services, continuing education, research and legislative representation to its more than 110,000 members in 70 boards/associations.
© 2004 FLORIDA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS
