The 306-member HomeTown Association of REALTORS® in Sycamore and Sterling, Ill., proved in 2020 that even a small association can serve the community in a big way. Using a $1,500 Community Rebuilding Grant from the National Association of REALTORS®, the association supported the creation of the Project Underpass Unity Mural in DeKalb,

Connecting Northern Illinois University to a public park, the underpass had been tagged with graffiti in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd in May 2020. HomeTown worked with Alderman Scott McAdams and DeKalb artists including Aaron C. Robertson to create a new mural, paying for paint and other supplies. The project was completed in November. 

HAR Unity Mural
From left, HAR Advocacy Chair Christopher Tenggren; artist Jordan Jacob; HAR President Todd Burghardt; HAR AE Heather Wiedrich and her son, Matrix; artist Aaron Robertson; Alderman Scott McAdams; and artists Ivy Vargas and Shannon Gallagher.
unity-panoramic

“Rather than merely cleaning up the graffiti, this was a unique opportunity to collaborate with community partners to create a positive solution that focuses on diversity and inclusion while recognizing the grave and intense challenges we face as a community,” says HomeTown CEO Heather Wiedrich. 

Separately, HomeTown used a $4,500 Placemaking grant from the National Association of REALTORS® to partner with the DeKalb Park District and other community partners to establish a Toddler Garden at a city park. “REALTORS® live, work, and volunteer in their communities and take pride in working to improve them,” Wiedrich says. “Grassroots projects like these foster healthier, more social, and economically viable communities.”

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