AUSTIN, TEXAS (Jan. 24, 2006) — In a concerted effort to help its Gulf States market centers recover from Hurricane Katrina, Keller Williams Realty Inc. and its public charity, Keller Williams Realty Cares (KW Cares) has raised $5.3 Million.
The amount is not far behind the collective fundraising efforts of the National Association of REALTORS®, which has raised $5.8 million for hurricane relief.
Keller Williams Realty Vice Chairman Mo Anderson says Keller Williams Realty’s giving culture has enabled the real estate franchise operation to “respond meaningfully” to its associates in need. As of the end of the year, donations from Keller Williams Realty’s 57,000-plus associates and the company’s 500-plus market centers across the United States and Canada – earmarking 10 percent of their profits to KW Cares, had totaled $5.3 Million.
“We are making history in real estate with KW Cares, which has been supporting our associates in times of extreme hardship since 2003,” Anderson says. “At Keller Williams Realty, we believe you have to give to get, and we were determined to surpass our goal of raising $5 million for our Gulf States associates.”
In addition to the fundraising campaign, KW Cares launched a long-term relief program called Heart 2 Heart, which is helping more than 700 Keller Williams Realty associates rebuild their lives and businesses. The adoption program enables volunteer Keller Williams Realty market centers in other regions to assist specific Gulf States associates impacted by Hurricane Katrina.
Susan Spencer, owner of the Keller Williams Advantage Olney/Rockville Market Center in Maryland, says her family is limiting their gift-giving this holiday season and spending the difference on a Gulf States Keller Williams Realty family that she and another Maryland market center adopted through the Heart 2 Heart program. Spencer, who joined Keller Williams Realty as a prospective owner this past May, says the company’s teamwork-oriented culture attracted her to Keller Williams Realty.
“You don’t particularly find that in real estate; it’s typically every man and woman for themselves,” Spencer says. “But at Keller Williams, it’s about people helping people – and that applies both professionally and personally.”
Keller Williams Realty associate Patricia Peyton of Metairie, La., knows firsthand the impact of KW Cares’ Heart 2 Heart program. After losing everything to Katrina, Peyton’s adoptive market center in California – together with some Keller Williams Realty associates in North Carolina – rallied to personally deliver new furniture, equipment and appliances for her home and office, as well as an SUV.
“To know that you have a company like this behind you is so comforting,” Peyton says. “What I really think is so beautiful is how everybody in this company came together. When we call it family, it really is a family. Agents from all over the country really stood behind us. You could really feel the caring. That’s why they call it KW Cares.”
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About Keller Williams Realty Cares
Founded in 2003, Keller Williams Realty Cares (KW Cares) is a federally qualified 501(c)3 public charity created to support Keller Williams Realty associates and their families in times of extreme hardship. It is the heart of the Keller Williams Realty culture in action – finding and serving the higher purpose of business through charitable giving in the communities where Keller Williams Realty associates live and work. The charity gives 100 percent of the donations to Keller Williams Realty family members in need and charities that are aligned with the mission and values of Keller Williams Realty and KW Cares. Keller Williams Realty International, the franchise operation’s headquarters, covers the charity’s administrative costs. For more information, visit KW Cares at (www.kwcares.org).
About Keller Williams Realty Inc.:
Founded in 1983, Keller Williams Realty Inc. is the fifth-largest real estate franchise operation in North America, with 500-plus offices and more than 58,000 associates in the United States and Canada. The company’s associate-centric culture emphasizes access to leading-edge education and promotes an economic model that rewards associates as stakeholders and partners. Keller Williams Realty, which began franchising in 1990, is growing by 1,700 agents a month. Keller Williams Realty agents place high value on professional education and a full-time commitment to real estate sales. For more information, visit Keller Williams Realty online at (www.kw.com).
