September 11, 2001, changed our nation forever. The largest attack on American soil since Pearl Harbor, 9/11 claimed thousands of lives and shook the nation to its core. However, out of that tragedy, Americans, including our REALTOR® family, came together to support those facing the unimaginable. And 25 years later, REALTORS® are still finding ways to help those in need.
Within 100 days of Sept. 11, NAR members raised more than $8.4 million for families affected by the attacks. The funds helped with housing-related needs like mortgage payments, rent and temporary shelter at a moment when stability felt out of reach.
Born out of this tragedy was an organization designed to support those impacted by other tragedies all over the country. The REALTORS® Relief Foundation mission is to provide housing-related assistance to disaster-impacted communities. Just four years after Sept. 11, Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana, and RRF had the infrastructure and funds in place to help impacted residents. We continue that mission today, and so far this year have granted more than $3 million to thousands of families across the United States impacted by wildfires, flooding and other disasters that can take a roof off a home, displace a family or leave a community searching for a way forward.
RRF recognizes that when someone is experiencing hardship, the first need is often immediate and practical. A grant is not meant to replace a home after a tornado rips one apart. Rather, it can help pay for a hotel so a family has a safe place to stay that night or help cover rent or a mortgage payment while they take the first steps toward recovery.
That speed matters. In many communities, RRF support is among the first checks distributed after a disaster. It will not solve every challenge, but it can restore a sense of stability at the very moment everything feels uncertain. It can tell a family: You are not alone. Your community sees you. Help is already on the way.
NAR members saw early on the power of community amidst a tragedy. In the days and weeks following Sept. 11, REALTORS® often delivered those checks by hand. That made the help more than financial. It made it personal. It was a REALTOR®, a member of the National Association of REALTORS®, looking another person in the eye and saying: We are here with you.
The success of this foundation belongs to NAR members themselves. RRF was founded and is funded by the generosity of REALTORS®, state and local associations and partners who understand that our work is rarely about a property—it’s about security and community. We help people find that in ordinary times, and through RRF, we help them hold onto a sense of home in extraordinary times.
As we approach the 25th anniversary of RRF, I want to thank every REALTOR®, every local and state association, every staff member and every partner who has supported this foundation with your dollars, your time and your heart. Because of you, RRF continues to be the REALTORS®’ charity of choice and a beacon of hope for families in crisis.
For the last quarter century, NAR members helped turn generosity into shelter, speed into stability and compassion into action. Today, we solemnly remember the events of Sept. 11, 2001, and commit to continue supporting RRF for generations to come so that when tragedies occur those in need know there is a community of REALTORS® ready to help.
