Realtors Help Bring an Orlando Family Home
ORLANDO, FL – November 06, 2008 – (RealEstateRama) — Orlando resident Martina Dunston has spent more than 300 hours over the past two years helping build houses for other families while working toward her goal of someday owning her own home. Her dreams of homeownership were realized today when the National Association of Realtors® and Habitat for Humanity presented Dunston and her children with the keys to a new Habitat for Humanity house during a dedication ceremony.
In recent years, several other Habitat for Humanity houses have been built near Dunston’s new home. Dunston and her three children, James, 8; Amya, 4; and Destini, 2, were joined by Realtor® leaders and hundreds of volunteers at the dedication for the one-story, three- bedroom home at 381 Mandrake Street.
“Realtors® build communities and are dedicated to helping provide affordable housing opportunities for working families in Orlando and across the country,” said NAR President Richard Gaylord, a broker with RE/MAX Real Estate Specialists, Long Beach, Calif. “I am pleased to join hands with Habitat for Humanity to welcome Martina Dunston and her family to their new home. Today they begin to build their future through homeownership.”
The dedication precedes the 2008 REALTORS® Conference & Expo here this week. Approximately 20,000 Realtors and guests are expected to attend the annual meeting.
For the past eight years NAR has worked together with Habitat for Humanity International to build a home in the host city for NAR’s annual conference. Realtors® have also contributed to Habitat for Humanity’s post-Katrina homebuilding efforts along the Gulf Coast. In addition, NAR contributes to a Habitat for Humanity build abroad each year – this year, the build is in Hungary.
The 2008 REALTORS® Conference & Expo will take place at the Orange County Convention Center. More than 20,000 Realtors® and guests are expected to attend the meeting that will feature hundreds of conference sessions, more than 500 exhibitors, and tens of thousands of real estate professionals from the U.S. and 50 countries.
Habitat for Humanity Orlando is a not-for-profit, ecumenical, Christian organization dedicated to transforming the lives of low-income, hardworking families through the American dream of homeownership. It is one of approximately 2,100 local affiliates of Habitat for Humanity International. Support from sponsors, donors and volunteers directly benefit the Central Florida community. To learn more about Habitat for Humanity Orlando or to make a donation, call 407/ 648-4567 or visit www.habitat-orlando.org.
Contact:
Sara Weis
202/383-1013
sweis (at) realtors (dot) org
