REALTOR® Day of Service 2012

What an amazing time to live in Metropolitan Indianapolis, especially with a Super Bowl, here, in a couple of weeks. It really is an incredible opportunity for our city to shine. It is our time to shine too. We should take this chance to show our community who we really are as well. It is our 100th Birthday after all, we deserve it.

This year we have a super opportunity on February 29th, Leap Day. We all have an extra day in our lives this year. An extra day….and personally, I don’t want to waste it. What should I do?


The answer is easy. REALTORS® have been selling homes in Indianapolis for 100 years, and they have also been serving the community for 100 years. Everyone has a project, cause, organization or group that they are passionate about! So we have decided to designate February 29, 2012 as REALTOR® Day of Service in central Indiana!


This year instead of having a planned event for REALTORS® and Affiliates to work on as a group, the idea was to let people choose their passion, and give back in a way that was meaningful to them. Your office may plan a group event; you might volunteer at your child’s, grandchildren, niece or nephew’s school. You may grab three co-workers and volunteer at a shelter, or soup kitchen. Your MIBOR Division might plan to volunteer at a local food pantry, or local school event. Or, since it’s the last day of the month, and time is precious, you may consider something less time intensive but just as powerful. For example, you can donate blood! MIBOR will host a blood drive at the MIBOR office on the 29th – it’s simple and takes minimal time. You can also donate items to a shelter (click here for a list of REALTOR Foundation grant recipients), the Salvation Army, Goodwill store or your favorite charity. Or take a walk down your street and pick up trash. Every little bit helps!


The more I write about this the more excited I get. Think about it, a day I haven’t had for 3 years and won’t have again for 3 more years. I want to make the most of it, don’t you? Take this opportunity to do something you are passionate about, and make a difference in someone else’s life. 


Lastly, please tell us what you have planned at www.facebook.com/MIBOR , and your charity could win a $500 donation. We want to celebrate your great work in our communities, and thought there was no better way than to give back, in your name, to those in need.


If you need more ideas on how you might participate in the 2012 REALTOR Day of Service visit http://www.mibor100.com/dayofservice.html. 

Introducing the MIBOR Histories Council

Have you ever been so fortunate to have a meeting at MIBOR’s Past Presidents Board Room? There is an amazing mystique within these four walls! 100 men and women, leaders among their peers, are overlooking your every move. Though silent, you know they are there. Along the southwest wall are the legends. The ones who stepped forward to found a real estate board in 1912 for the betterment of the business, for the consumer and the practitioner, bound by a code of ethics, and created for the purpose of lasting long beyond the founders’ lifetimes. On the northwest wall, you will see Past Presidents who are known locally, and even nationally, for their leadership and service to others. There is no better setting for a group of people who were charged with the task of capturing our 100 years of the Metropolitan Indianapolis Realtors’ legacy and packaging it in such a way that it will not only come to life in your hands, but will serve as the official Centennial History document for future generations of MIBOR members.

Your MIBOR Centennial Histories Council had its first official meeting on
September 9th of 2009. We shared the multi-year timeline of the Centennial. Furthermore, if we were going to have a book available on January 3, 2012; we needed to get to work, and that is exactly what this outstanding group of men and women did. Ideas started to flow. How and why was the board created? How did we contribute to the growth and prosperity of Indianapolis? Who are the Real Estate Titans, our leaders who laid such a great foundation? How did our membership and leadership handle various societal issues that dealt with women’s rights and racial equality? There were probably another nineteen items tossed into the mix, but this is how we began.

The people were incredible! Our Centennial leadership team headed by Past President Beth Blake had already considered author candidates. Fortunately, Todd Gould had been chosen. When you are holding your own copy of this book, REALTORS: Opening Doors for 100 Years, you too will be amazed at his ability to organize and express the thousands of facts and opinions that were conveyed by the Histories Council. The Council was an All-Star Cast. 

Bill Brennan, Jack Carr Boyd, Past President Kaye Hirt Eggleston, Delores Kennedy, Fred Kortepeter, G.B. Landrigan, Joyce Scotten, and Robbie Williams. As Co-Chairs, Past President John Creamer and I know that we assembled a passionate group of professionals who contributed to the content of the book through their own experience as well as five of us are multi-generational descendants of real estate leaders in Indianapolis. Steve Sullivan, CEO at MIBOR has assembled a tremendously supportive staff. Our MIBOR staff connection has been Claire Belby. Her dedication and commitment exceeds that of any project manager that I have ever worked with, whether at the board or through-out my nearly 34 years in this crazy business. The staff at Hirons & Co. Communications pulled it all together. Beautiful design, layout, and publication. Our thanks to Samantha Cotton, Susan Decker, Deana Haworth, Amanda Murray, and Emily Potter.

 One of the special days was the “Remembering Our History” event on December 2, 2009. Past Presidents, Realtor Emeritus members, and dozens of Realtors with many years of experience came to enthusiastically share memories. In addition to the individual comments that were made to the group and recorded for author reference, Todd Gould was able to capture many video interviews and arrange for additional video interviews at Channel 20 the next month.

I would call this project a labor of love. Love for our industry, love for our community, and love for the legacy. It just makes sense that the MIBOR Past Presidents Board Room would be the best setting for the organization, the creativity, and the often entertaining discussions of your MIBOR Centennial Histories Council. 

Brad Osborne
Co-Chair of the MIBOR Histories Council
www.mibor100.com

We're Ready for a SUPER 2012!

January 3rd marked the official date for MIBOR to begin celebrating its 100th birthday!  What a historic event!  How many organizations do you know who have celebrated their 100th anniversary?  We have something to shout about!!!  Seems like only yesterday that we were in the planning stages for the historic event and now it's really happening.  

Last week we kicked off our centennial celebration with the release of our commemorative book and DVD at our video release party at WFYI.

Our next big event is the Centennial Celebration coming on January 21st at the Indiana Roof Ballroom. Lots of special things are in store for attendees, so don't miss this "once in a lifetime" opportunity.

No project this large gets accomplished without a hard working team behind it. Such is the case with the Centennial Committee. We began working in 2008 under the direction of Claire Belby and our historian/author Todd Gould and the results have been overwhelming!  A core group consisting of six hard working, innovative thinkers produced tremendous results culminating with our commemorative book, interactive website and special events planned throughout 2012. Major kudos to co-chairs Brad Osborne, John Creamer, Amy Englert, Kurt Simmons, Sue Applegate and Pam Aguirre for a job well done. Also, special thanks to the individual committee members who contributed so much of their time and talent to the centennial planning.

Combine all these efforts with the Building a Living Legacy project in conjunction with Super Bowl XLVI and you've got a winning combination for a SUPER 2012! Enjoy the excitement! You're a part of history!

Beth Blake

Centennial Committee Chairman
www.mibor100.com

Happy Birthday MIBOR!

We have been counting down the days, and we're finally here! This is just the beginning of our year-long celebration of MIBOR's Centennial. It’s a celebration of the vital role our members and this organization has played in the lives of countless homeowners - families who have achieved the American Dream of owning a home. Each one assisted by a professional, a counselor, and a guide to the most important financial decision they may ever make.

Moreover, the real estate community has helped shape central Indiana — its economy, its landscape, its character. We are proud of the footprint REALTORS® have left in the last 100 years, but we have only just begun. You see, our Centennial Celebration isn't just a birthday party. It’s the start of something lasting; a legacy of contributions REALTORS® have made and will continue to make in our community.

Our plan is to post 100 blogs in 2012. We have a lot of great things to share with you. You’ll hear from special guest writers, you’ll see photos and videos and much more. We’d love to hear from you as well! Let us know if you have any industry stories or fun facts to share. Post your comments, thoughts and ideas here. Here’s to a year of celebration…the best is yet to come!