A company taking care of its own . . .

[Barry Owen]

I watched and watched - couldn't fathom the immensity of it all . . . Even as we in Tennessee had Katrina pass over us - closing our schools - subjecting us to unusually violent storms - and having NO earthly notion of the extent of damage in MS and LA.

My company Keller Williams Realty has (had) 12 offices in the afflicted coastal area with @ 1100 associates. Even today, we have only heard from 45 of those 1100 people. We are ever hopeful that most left the area befrore the storm hit. . . . and then the reality of it hit . . . Our company is a real estate company - Even if all of these folks survive, their "Livelihood" is now dead . . . There will not be a lively real estate market for a long time.

How has our company reacted? We are a company of independent contractors (Real  Estate Sales people). Our corporate office and virtually EVERY single office nationally (500 offices and 50,000 associates) sprang into action.

- We have a fund called "KW Cares" set up solely for the purpose of helping our own membership through tough times. We thought this fund would be there to support individual families - victims of isolated tragedy . . . It was not evolved enough to comprehend supporting the possibility of @ 1000 families in distress. 100% of the donations to KW Cares go to aid - it is administered by KW
- Within 72 hours of the landfall of Katrina, KW Cares received IMMEDIATE funding of over 3 MILLION Dollars coming from agents across the country.
- EVERY office in the  country will be donating 10% of its profits DIRECTLY to KW Cares - Those donations will automatically hit the  account on Tuesday amounting to several more million
- EVERY KW associate has been "challenged" to donate $100 individually within the next 2 weeks (another $5 Million)
- Several agents who own their own moving trucks have loaded the trucks with supplies and sent them to the affected region - our truck left this morning
- An instantaneous network has appeared to identify housing opoprtunities for "refugees" . . .  Our associates are offering unrented investment properties etc
-  Blood drives are being organized by an office in every city served by KW
- I'm sure there is more . . . needless to say, we are DIRECTLY affected by this storm - and I am amazed by the quick and generous response of our entire organization.

I live in Nashville, TN - Nashville will be one of the "recieving points" of refugees and medical evacuees (Vanderbilt University) . . . We have a "wing" of the air National Guard making regular relief flights. Nashville is a small enough city that we are ALL affected immediately (Gas prices have doubled in 3 days time). . . There is not a single life in our city that has not been directly affected - and we are 350+ miles from New Orleans . . . I have several friends (doctors pilots etc) who have been up-rooted from "normal routine" and sent to the Gulf Coast for an indefinite period of time.

I believe EVERYONE is doing what they can individually do - The sheer immensity of this catastrophy has overwhelmed even the most stalwart folks. My family was heading to the mountains for a long Labor Day week-end - We cancelled the trip and donated the money we would have spent on the trip to KW Cares. 

I see there are many emails on this list @ aid . . . I can only reaffirm the mantra I keep hearing - SEND MONEY to the organizations which are pioneering the relief efforts . . . and pay attention to the percentage of that money that will actually be used to benefit the distressed people. These folks have lost EVERYTHING . . . Those who have survived have lost their homes and their careers and their neighborhoods and their childhood landmarks - EVERYTHING - The organizations on the ground in that region can (and will) rebuild as quickly as their funding provides - Keller Williams realizes this and has turned on a HUGE money generating machine . . . 

Speaking of SELF-ORGANIZATION . . . 

b

Some links to organizations aiding the relief efforts

KW Cares
www.kwcares.org

American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund 
http://www.redcross.org/ 
(800) 435-7669

Catholic Charities, USA 
http://www.catholiccharitiesusa.org/
(800) 919-9338

Salvation Army 
http://www.1800salarmy.org/
(800) 725-2769

United Methodist Committee On Relief 
http://gbgm-umc.org/
(800) 554-8583

America's Second Harvest
http://www.secondharvest.org/
1-800-344-8070

--
What does your "way" move you towards? 

Barry Owen 
The Owen Group 
Keller Williams Realty 
The fastest growing, most innovative real estate firm in North America! 
105 Westpark Dr Suite 100 
Brentwood, TN 37027 
615.568.2123 
http://www.geocities.com/barryo.geo

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