We so often find ourselves complaining about the extreme heat here – especially around August.  The complaints are valid and I have been guilty of comments too – until now.  When I see how devastating the weather has been in other parts of the United States, our challenges seem insignificant.

Between the tornadoes, the flooding, the fires and heavy snowfalls, just to mention a few, two and a half months of hot weather is nothing!  At least our homes, offices and vehicles are air conditioned.

Richard Mendenhall is a long time REALTOR®.  He is also a past president of the Missouri Association of REALTORS® and a past president of the National Association of REALTORS®.  He has sent an update on what is happening in his state and is requesting help for the REALTOR® families who have been so severely hurt by the tornadoes since Sunday.

We often want to help others when we know where those dollars are going, and who might be helped.  We wanted to forward this to you so you can assist if this is something you feel you would like to do.

I am so thankful we are spared these disasters for the largest part.
Marge Lindsay

The thunder and lightning seem endless. Since midnight it explodes in our ears like mortar shells being fired again and again! And then the rain begins to roar. As it fades we feel hope but it comes back Pounding and pounding until we are numb. And then the words come twittering across the naked night that the Realtors in Joplin have discovered four more of their own have lost their homes last Sunday. The count is now twenty four homeless, one dead and seven still missing. When will it stop? When will it stop?

As we sit safely in our homes our sirens are silent but in Joplin it is not so. In their third night of torture the sirens screamed at them again searing their minds into an unspeakable rawness. But on this night the black twisting monster did not appear again. Can they feel hope? We can only pray! Please let it stop for them. Please let them find peace! Please let it be over for them! Please let the new dawn begin and begin today!

Please! Please! I feel no shame as I plead the words for them again and again – please help our REALTOR® family members rebuild their lives, rebuild their hopes, and rebuild their HOMES. Give them a dime. Give them a dollar! Give them a donation http://www.missourirealtor.org

Truly for them,

Richard Mendenhall, Interim CEO