Realtors in the Battlefords and across Saskatchewan have another outlet at their disposal to be able to give back to their communities.
That will be through a new Saskatchewan Realtors Charitable Fund and Granting Program. It was unveiled in North Battleford on Wednesday afternoon at a special members meeting of the Association of Saskatchewan Realtors.
Plans for the new endowment fund were presented by association president Bill Madder and consultant advisor Dale Botting to a large gathering of Battlefords-based realtors at Crandleberry's in the afternoon. Those in attendance got a full rundown of what the charitable fund will entail. One portion is an endowment fund that is intended to be used long-term.
"We established an endowment fund of $100,000 with the Saskatoon Community Foundation," said Madder.
The Saskatoon Community Foundation will manage the endowment fund "that will generate revenues that we will be using to donate to charitable causes throughout the province," he said.
Meanwhile, an additional $30,000 is being taken from reserves so that, beginning in 2013, grants of $5,000 will be provided in each of six different regions in the province to charitable organizations. North Battleford and district is to be one of those regions.
The plan is for an application process to be launched in early 2013. Local association members will be encouraging charitable agencies to apply with project proposals and ideas to enhance the quality of life in the area. A "Quality of Life" committee will be adjudicating and making decisions on which agencies will receive those awards throughout the six regions of the province.
Charitable agencies eligible for the funding will include those that support shelter-related services, enhance environmental sustainability, protection and conservation of natural areas, promote safer neighbourhoods and improved community services, and enhance and promote community development and better opportunities for "at risk" populations and disadvantaged citizens. The applications will be adjudicated based on those criteria.
The plan is also for the association to bolster the fund through fundraising initiatives, with an intent to establish the charitable fund long-term and be able to keep on providing grants to deserving local agencies.
"The idea of generating the endowment will be ongoing in perpetuity so 50 years from now there will still be grants generated by the fund," said Madder.
It is realtors' way of "giving back to communities they live and work in," Madder said, adding it will accentuate what realtors already do and raise it to a higher level. More details about the fund are to be rolled out in the coming months.
Botting adds this is a further demonstration of responsibility by the real estate industry."Winston Churchill once said the 'price of greatness is responsibility,' and we think that the realty profession is pretty great. It does great things already, it helps link buyers and sellers in a very important way," said Botting.
"The real estate industry's great in North Battleford and now we are demonstrating the responsibility that goes with that price."
