By Geoff Ramsey, CRS, GRI
President, Greater Chattanooga Realtors
Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, “What are you doing for others?” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
Greater Chattanooga Realtors take pride in walking clients through the home buying and selling processes, but it’s our community partnerships that round out the true definition of what it means to be a Realtor. Partnering with Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga Area and the Snack Pack Ministry, has given Realtors an avenue to better our community and the lives in it.
Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga Area is a non-profit you have likely heard of before. Spend five minutes with one of their volunteers or a homeowner who has a roof over his head thanks to Habitat and you will quickly realize how Habitat’s efforts to provide affordable housing have positively impacted countless families in our community. Together, we have completed neighborhood revitalization projects, worked on new construction builds, and helped with spreading the word about Habitat’s two ReStore locations (downtown Chattanooga and Ooltewah).
Tee Up & Wine Down for Habitat is a biennial fundraiser event held at Black Creek Club. In 2016, we raised more than $73,000 and hope to surpass that number at this year’s Tee Up & Wine Down for Habitat on April 9. Whether you enjoy a round of golf with friends, appreciate wine and delicious food, enjoy the thrill of an auction, or simply want to have fun while raising money for a great, local cause, you won’t want to miss this event. If you’re unable to attend, but want to contribute, we are currently looking for sponsors as well as items for the live and silent auctions. Learn more on www.gcar.net or email info@gcar.net.
Snack Pack Ministry is an entirely volunteer-driven movement that, with the support of Realtors and the Chattanooga Area Food Bank, is putting food in the hands of more than 1,630 students every week in 12 (and growing) Hamilton County schools. According to Snack Pack, 1 in 4 Hamilton County children are hungry on the weekends - that’s more than 44,000 who are food-insecure from the time they leave school on Friday until they return Monday morning. Snack Pack is fulfilling a need in our community that is making a big impact! Not only are children leaving school on Friday’s with food to carry them through the weekend, attendance has increased for those students.
Want to join us in the Snack Pack movement? Realtors and community volunteers gather the first Wednesday of each month school is in session to assemble snack packs. New volunteers of all ages are welcome. In addition, anyone can sponsor a child – just $80 feeds one child for an entire school year. Send a check noted with the Snack Pack initiative to East Brainerd Church of Christ (7745 E. Brainerd Rd.) or meet there to fill snack packs. Next date: March 7 at 6:30 pm.
Ronald Reagan said, “No one can help everyone. But everyone can help someone.” Greater Chattanooga Realtors is doing our part to make a difference in our community and we invite you to join our efforts. Learn more about Habitat, Snack Pack, and how you can get involved, visit www.gcar.net/about/community-partnerships.
Greater Chattanooga Realtors® is The Voice of Real Estate in Greater Chattanooga. A regional organization with more than 2,000 members, Greater Chattanooga Realtors is one of some 1,300 local boards and associations of Realtors® nationwide that comprise the National Association of Realtors®. Greater Chattanooga Realtors service Hamilton and Sequatchie counties in southeast Tennessee, and Catoosa, Dade, and Walker counties in northwest Georgia. For more information, visit www.gcar.net or call 423.698.8001.