How Realtors are helping the victims of Katrina

There are several ways REALTORS® can contribute to the hurricane relief efforts underway in the states hit by Hurricane Katrina last week. To make a tax-deductible contribution through the C.A.R. Disaster Relief Fund, make checks payable to the California Community Foundation, and write "C.A.R. Disaster Relief Fund" on the "memo" line. Send checks to the California Community Foundation, 445 S. Figueroa St., #3400, Los Angeles, CA 90071-1638.

Contributions also can be sent to NAR's REALTORS® Relief Foundation through www.realtor.org/relief. To donate by mail, send checks to REALTORS® Relief Foundation, Attn: NAR Finance Division, 430 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago IL 60611.

To make donations directly to the impacted states, checks made payable to the state disaster relief funds can be sent to the following addresses: Alabama REALTOR® Disaster Relief Fund, P.O. Box 4070, Montgomery, AL 36103; Louisiana REALTORS® Relief Fund, P.O. Box 14780, Baton Rouge, LA, 70898; Mississippi REALTOR® Hurricane Relief Fund, P. O. Box 321000, Jackson, MS 39232.

Major airlines also have announced that individuals can donate their frequent flyer miles to many aid organizations, including the American Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity and the Salvation Army. Such groups use the donated miles to send relief workers and supplies to the affected areas. For more information on how to donate your miles, contact individual airlines directly.

In response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina, C.A.R. last week donated $10,000 to each of the three affected state REALTOR® associations through C.A.R.'s Disaster Relief Fund. Initially created to help REALTORS® and local Association staff who had been affected by the Southern California wildfires in 2003, the Fund has since been used to mitigate the effects of other disasters impacting the REALTOR® community nationwide.