Create professional development programs that help REALTORS® strengthen their businesses.
Protect private property rights and promote the value of REALTORS®.
Advance ethics enforcement programs that increase REALTOR® professionalism.
Protect REALTORS® by providing legal guidance and education.
Stay current on industry issues with daily news from Illinois REALTORS®, network with other professionals, attend a seminar, and keep up with industry trends through events throughout the year.
REALTORS® and staff members from the REALTOR® Association of Southwestern Illinois (RASI) created log amphitheaters and cleared invasive species from the Signal Hill Outdoor Classroom during Belleville Helping Belleville Day, on Sept. 14.
“Community outreach and service are a very important part of our jobs as REALTORS® and members of the community,” said Renee Wittenauer, Chairperson of the RASI Community Involvement Task Force. “We – as REALTORS® and business people – work and live in the Metro East, so we strive to make our communities a better place for all. Partnering with Heartland Conservancy is a perfect way for us to support these students and allow them to enjoy and learn about nature. We are happy to help with this special project.”
RASI members also dedicated a bench that had been installed earlier in the week. The bench was created from plastic lids and bottle caps collected over the course of six months by RASI members. REALTORS® Sam Row (Keller Williams Marquee, Columbia), Lindy Kurtz (RE/MAX Results Realty, Columbia), Rebecca Bollinger (Keller Williams Marquee, Edwardsville), Renee Wittenauer (Kunkel Wittenauer Group, Inc., O’Fallon) and John Grissom (Berkshire Hathaway Homeservice Fairview Heights) attended the dedication, along with RASI CEO Deb Frazier, Belleville Mayor Mark Eckert, Belleville City Treasurer Dean Hardt, HeartLands Conservancy President/CEO Mary Vandevord and Greater Belleville Chamber of Commerce Membership/Event Manager Peggy Schifferdecker.
The Signal Hill Outdoor Classroom is a part of HeartLands Conservancy Lots of Love Initiative. The goal of the project is to increase the number and type of butterflies, bees and other pollinators, while beautifying the neighborhood and improving water quality. The outdoor classroom is used by Signal Hill and Blessed Sacrament students to learn about animal and plant species, and volunteer in the outdoor space as well. The City of Belleville is an extremely active partner in this project and assists in the site’s ongoing development. Funding for the project is provided by Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation, American Water Environmental Grant, Clif Bar Family Foundation and private donations.
For more information about the outdoor classroom, contact Sarah Vogt at 618-566-4451, ext. 23 or [email protected].
