Volunteers from the Upstate Alliance of REALTORS® (UPSTAR), in partnership with NeighborLink Fort Wayne, paired up on Oct. 21, 2021 for a Day of Caring to paint fire hydrants in need of maintenance throughout Fort Wayne’s inner city.
NeighborLink, who mobilizes volunteers, receives a stipend to maintain city fire hydrants. The funds go toward the organization’s Furnace Program, which provides assistance with furnace repair and replacement costs to local residents with financial challenges in the winter months.
Giving back to the community to support housing-related initiatives is at the core of our organizational values,” said David Belew, Executive Officer of USPTAR. “NeighborLink does great work, and we are always ready to partner with them to help residents maintain their homes and beautify our community. It’s very rewarding for our REALTOR® members to know that their work today will help seniors and other residents to maintain a working furnace in the winter.”
UPSTAR’s Day of Caring consisted of seven REALTOR® volunteer teams, totaling 15 people. Together they painted 52 fire hydrants Thursday morning. Their efforts align with the goal of NeighborLink to build bridges between needs and resources, between volunteers and those in need, and to provide a way for people to give back to their community.
“NeighborLink would like to thank REALTOR® volunteers for taking time to invest in our community to beautify our neighborhoods in painting fire hydrants this week,” said Jeff Shatto, Director of Mobilization for NeighborLink Fort Wayne. “They have been long-time supporters of NeighborLink and have done many projects for neighbors including lawn mowing, house painting and cleaning. We are so grateful for their continued service in loving their neighbors. Thank you REALTORS®!”
