Arkansas Realtors® Working to Restore Communities

Arkansas Realtors® play an important leadership role in building our communities, sharing their time and talents to help those in need and improve the communities in which they live and work. One such program created by the Arkansas Realtors® community, Project Realtor Restore, is a unique program designed to bring together Realtors®, public works entities in their communities, police, churches, school organizations, civic groups and private volunteers to improve the quality of life with little or no costs.

The program design is simple and effective. Most communities, both large and small, have areas in need of some improvement. Sometimes it’s as simple as cleaning a city park area, but can be as labor-intensive as cleaning several city blocks in areas that have become blighted. With Project Realtor® Restore the ground-work is laid by a Realtor® coordinator. The Realtor® and other community volunteers arrive for clean-up day, do their job, are fed lunch and sent home. It’s simple, it’s safe, it’s fulfilling and provides a much-needed community service.

Not only are Realtors® helping to identify ‘problem’ areas in their communities, they are also working side-by-side with others in their communities to solve problems. "It is wonderful to see how a community can get behind the clean up,” said Paragould Realtor Sandra Kelley. “Sometimes it's just that little spark that can turn a neighborhood around.”

The program began in 1999 when Jonesboro City Councilwoman Judy Furr and Sgt. Larry Rogers of the Jonesboro Police Department started looking for ways to put a program together that would clean up neighborhoods, instill pride in residents and reduce crime rates. In 2008 Furr presented a statewide version of her local program to the Arkansas Realtors® Association and the program was adopted by local Realtor® boards throughout the state.

“We have had a tremendous response to the program throughout the state of Arkansas,” said Kelley. “Over the years the program has been highly successful and has seen thousands of tons of trash hauled away and neighborhoods restored – all done with volunteers, city services and the will to make the community a better place to live. Volunteers look forward to the Saturday morning project and some have participated for the full eight years.”

For more information on Project Realtor® Restore and how Realtors® can collaborate with your community to help ensure safe, clean living environments, contact your local Board of Realtors® or the Arkansas Realtors® Association at www.ArkansasRealtors.com.

♦♦♦

House to House is written by Amy Glover Bryant, APR and distributed weekly by the Arkansas Realtors® Association.