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REALTOR® Association of the Fox Valley (RAFV) members demonstrated their community spirit with special events, projects and donations this year for Garfield Farm & Tavern Museum in rural Geneva.
REALTORS® adopted the local farm as a way of showing their community involvement during the Illinois Bicentennial. They raised public awareness of the Garfield Farm & Tavern Museum by helping to plan and participate in an open house on May 31. “Shedding the Light on Garfield Farm” promoted the history of the farm and its buildings which date back to the 1840s. The event was the result of nearly a year’s worth of planning by members of the RAFV Community Outreach Committee. More than 100 REALTORS® and family members enjoyed food, period music and horse and buggy rides.
Photo by Andrew Schones of Both/And Pictures
A grant from the Illinois REALTORS® Bicentennial Committee, along with donations from local vendors, helped finance the purchase and installation of safety lighting for the farm as well as the refurbishment two of the farm’s signs.
“It’s very hard not to love this beautiful piece of American History once you visit it and see it for the first time,” said Julie Kellenberger of Preferred Homes Realty, community outreach chairperson.
“It is so amazing to walk around the property and to see and learn about the buildings and structures that have been there since the 1840’s,” added Tracey Carlstedt of First Federal Savings Bank, community outreach vice-chairperson. “We just wanted our members to learn about this historical gem that is right here in our own backyard.”
“It was incredibly important for the committee to use local vendors for this event,” said Lisa Ayres, RAFV director of communications and social media. “They wanted to create a sense of community and sharing and by using local resources, we feel we achieved that.”
REALTORS® across the state are working with heart in their communities to complete projects like this to commemorate the Illinois Bicentennial. The RAFV project is one of 36 legacy projects being completed by our 29 local REALTOR® associations.
Projects include fundraising for local historic home repairs and historical community murals or promoting local historical properties and societies. Illinois REALTORS® has donated land in downtown Springfield next to its headquarters to build Bicentennial Plaza – a REALTOR® Community Partnership, which is a signature project of the state bicentennial celebrations.
The association is an official endorsed partner with the Illinois Bicentennial Commission, which oversees the state’s plans for the milestone birthday.
This blog post is part of a series over the next several months covering Illinois REALTORS® local associations legacy projects leading up to the state of Illinois 200th Birthday. Learn more.
