COLUMBIA, MD - The Howard County Association of REALTORS® (HCAR) is an honored recipient of the 2022 Maryland REALTORS® William J. Neary Community Action and REALTOR® Excellence (CARE) Award, in recognition of the association’s achievements in community service and charitable actions.
This annual award is designed to raise the profile of the REALTOR® organization by focusing on local associations that have demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to community service. The award honors former Maryland REALTORS® President William “Bill” J. Neary, Jr.
The award comes with a $9,000 grant, which will be donated in full to HCAR Cares, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded by HCAR members in late 2019. HCAR Cares is dedicated to improving the quality of life for members of our community in Howard County and beyond. In addition to community service projects, HCAR Cares fundraises and awards grants to organizations and groups who address food, shelter, health, safety, and cultural needs, among others.
Over the past year, HCAR Cares has awarded $19,000 to 18 charitable organizations in Howard County and beyond. The organization’s largest project of the year, the annual Thanksgiving Basket Drive, collected and distributed 446 nourishing Thanksgiving meals to local families in need. Since the Thanksgiving Basket Drive started 8 years ago, HCAR and HCAR Cares have collected and donated 1,762 meals.
Among its other 2021-2022 community outreach projects, HCAR and HCAR Cares held a school supply drive for Prepare for Success of Howard County; funded, assembled, and distributed over 100 lunches through the organization Love and Lunches; funded 10 beds and built 50 beds through Sleep in Heavenly Peace; distributed supplies for Columbia Community Care; fulfilled the holiday wish lists of five local children; made and donated 50 blankets to the Linus Project; sponsored the Howard County Library’s Un-Design the Redline exhibit; hosted a blood drive for the American Red Cross; coordinated a river cleanup with the Piedmont Learning Center; and more.
“REALTORS® are in a unique position to give back to their communities, and the vast majority of them include community involvement in their personal and professional growth plans,” said 2022 HCAR President Sarah Anderson. “We are proud of the efforts of our members and of HCAR Cares over the past year, and we look forward to continuing to make a difference in Howard County.”
Alicyn DelZoppo, 2022 President of HCAR Cares, pointed out that this is the second CARE Award that HCAR has received since HCAR Cares was founded. HCAR was also the 2020 recipient of the CARE Award.
“For an organization that was essentially born at the start of a global pandemic, HCAR Cares has accomplished so much already,” DelZoppo said. “Our small but mighty group of volunteers will continue to build on this strong foundation for many years to come.”
