ABQ Salvation Army’s Real Estate Wednesday

This Year, GAAR's Community Relations Committee Is Pleased To Introduce Real Estate Wednesdays. 

Real Estate Wednesday is one of the many ways GAAR REALTORS® and Affiliates give back to the community. By ringing bells for the Salvation Army, we help them continue their social service focus of bridging the gap with assistance when financial hardships occur to keep families independent, self-sustaining, safe and in their homes.

The Salvation Army “Red Kettle Campaign” is critical to their annual fundraising goals.  It is the source for over 65% of Salvation Army Contributions providing Social Services for individuals of Bernalillo, Sandoval and Torrance County. These social services include:

  • Emergency Food
  • Clothing
  • Transportation
  • Utility and Rental Assistance
  • Medical and Pharmaceutical Assistance
  • Meals
  • Youth Leadership Development
  • Education
  • Christmas for Families

When you collect donations for Salvation Army, you can be certain that 83¢ on every dollar goes to directly aid and if you donate to one of their emergency relief funds, 100% of donations goes directly to those in need.

The effort has three goals:

  • Doing Good: To be a part of all that The Salvation Army does and to be part of a greater cause for good. 
  • Get Involved: To elevate the public image and perception of our real estate industry as a cooperative and caring group.
  • Engage Clients: To connect and reconnect with clients and the community we serve, click on the link to download the attached document to create a client letter or email.

Click here to volunteer

How it works:

History of Real Estate Wednesdays

It began in the Spring of 2013 as many great things do, unexpectedly over a quiet lunch between friends. Super volunteer and member of the Salvation Army’s National Advisory Board, Marlene Klotz-Collins, was welcoming Joseph and JoAnn Callaway to the organization’s Phoenix Advisory Board. JoAnn told Marlene how dedicated she and Joseph were to the red kettles at Christmas. Marlene explained to JoAnn that Wednesdays were a challenge when getting volunteers. “The Army actually has to hire paid workers to ring bells at many of the kettle locations,” Marlene said. JoAnn immediately volunteered herself and Joseph, and by dessert she had volunteered the whole home ownership industry.  After months of planning, more than 1,000 real estate agents, title company officers, lenders, and affiliates came together to ring the bells at more than 180 kettle locations throughout Maricopa County. Real Estate Wednesdays was born.