The much-anticipated 2008 Trivia Night event is upon us!  Be sure to mark your calendar for Friday, November 14 for MAAR’s 2nd Annual Trivia Night event to benefit our two adopted schools:  Springdale Elementary and Southwind Elementary.  All proceeds from this fun evening will be split between the schools and we will consult with them on how the money should be spent to benefit the students the most.

This year’s Trivia Night is being held at the Memphis Area Homebuilders Association building located at 776 N. Germantown Parkway.  Doors open at 6:00pm (to give you time to visit with the competition and decorate your table) and the game begins at 7:00pm.  It’s $20 per person or $120 per team of six in advance or $25 per person and $150 per team of six at the door.  We encourage teams to dress up and bring whatever they would like to decorate their tables.  Prizes will be awarded to the winning trivia team and a popular vote will determine best table decorations/costumes.

We’re expecting a sell-out again this year, so register NOW by completing a registration form and submitting payment.  Contact Katie Shotts at (901) 818-2435 or katie.shotts@maar.org for more information.  Registration forms available at www.maar.org.

The MAAR/MBA Habitat House was dedicated this past Saturday, October 25th.  We had a group of volunteers out that morning to lay sod, help landscape and tidy up inside before the ceremony.  Although six houses were dedicated that afternoon, we were fortunate enough to have our house as the backdrop for the entire ceremony.  Harold Blockman, Jon Albright, Jules Wade, Katie Shotts and Charlie Land from the MBA attended. 

Our homeowner, Lakisha Tutton, was so thrilled, and her 5-year old daughter was already picking out her room in the house.  Lakisha also has a newborn son who will share this happy home at 5157 Chantilly in Northaven.  As Jon Albright handed Lakisha the keys to her new house, he said, “We hope this is the beginning of a new day for you and that it makes a difference. We wish you many years of happiness.”

As you know, it takes a lot of busy hands and warm hearts to build a house in eight weeks.  We could not have completed the house on time and had everything run so smoothly without a large number of volunteers.  In total we had about 100 volunteers who worked at least one of nine different build days.  A sincere thank you to all our volunteers for supporting the build and promoting it to their friends, offices and chapters. 

The efforts most definitely paid off!  It was very heartwarming to see it all come to fruition.  John Snyder said, “Just as we are helping to strengthen the Memphis community with projects of this nature, I firmly believe this is helping to strengthen all facets of our real estate community as well.”  

Be sure to look for the special pull-out section in the Commercial Appeal in November celebrating Habitat’s 25^th Anniversary, as it will have more coverage of the MAAR/MBA house.

Ever wish you could sit next to the runway at Fashion Week like the celebrities?  Well, you can do the next best thing at the Women’s Council of REALTORS® 2008 Fashion Show.  This year’s event will be on Friday, October 3 at the Hilton on Ridge Lake Blvd.  Cocktails begin at 6:00pm, followed by dinner at 7:00pm.  Tickets are $55 each and a portion of the proceeds support Methodist Breast Center for cancer research.

You will be treated to a live fashion show with clothes by Dillard’s.  The theme is “Sex and the City,” so expect lots of great shoes, beautiful women and cosmos!  In addition to a silent auction, there will also be furs and jewelry for sale at discounted prices by King Furs and King Jewelry.  Following the fashion show The Plaintiffs will provide music and dancing is very much encouraged. 

So put on your Manolo Blahniks, grab your Prada bag and step out in style to the hautest event in town.  If you have always wanted to strut your stuff on a catwalk, you can be a model for the night, too!  For tickets or questions, contact Donna Clark at 901.340.3753 or Donna.Franks.Clark@gmail.com.

Silent Auction

Wine Race

Sixteen teams of four each competed in the second annual Wine Race.  The team with the fastest time and the least amount of “spillage”- “Vintage Blend”- was deemed this year’s winner.  This year we added a Theme Team competition and it was so competitive there was a tie!  Congratulations to “A Bunch of Grape Chicks” and “Vintage Whiners” on your wins!  A big thank you to Danny Thomas for organizing another great Wine Race this year.

Gary Burhop and Great Wines and Spirits, our friendly wine shop up the street at Regalia Center, generously provided the Wine Tasting again this year.  Gary brought six wines from a “Pure Evil Chardonnay” from Austrailia to a “Hob Nob Merlot” from Southern France.  Carrabba’s at 5110 Poplar Avenue provided the food and service for us again this year, and they outdid themselves.  Ed Parramore and his staff grilled chicken outside and served it up alongside delicious shrimp and a mushroom sauce.  Delicious!

Our fantastic Community Involvement Committee members spent several months collecting over 100 auction items from local vendors.  Big ticket items included a Coach Calipari-signed basketball, an ad in the Commercial Appeal, and golf for four at Spring Creek Ranch.  Thank you to all our donors!

Besides raising money for the Habitat house, the kick-off event’s purpose is to get members excited about the upcoming Habitat build.

The MAAR/MBA house is coming to life!

The roof has officially been raised!  The 2008 Fall Habitat Build kicked off last Friday, September 12, followed by day two on Saturday, September 13.  This year’s MAAR/Mortgage Bankers Association house is located at 5157 Chantilly in Northaven and sits alongside three other Habitat homes, with three others close by.  Habitat is proud to be part of revitalizing the previously vacant and abandoned lots in this neighborhood.

It will still take a lot of people to complete the house, so if you haven’t already volunteered, please fill out a volunteer form.  No experience or skill is necessary!  Habitat will provide the tools and instruction if you provide the heart and elbow grease.  If you need more information or have questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Katie Shotts at (901) 818-2435 or katie.shotts@maar.org.

Last Thursday evening, May 22, approximately 100 MAAR members gathered in the Education Center to celebrate those who have given back to the community.  The Community Service Awards were first established in 2004 to honor members who selflessly devote their time and energy to various non-profits and other organizations in the greater Memphis community.  At this 5th Annual Community Service Award event, nine REALTOR® and REALTOR-ASSOCIATES® and two Affiliate members were honored by their colleagues.  The nominees were as follows:

REALTOR®/REALTOR-ASSOCIATE® Category:

• Felix Bishop, Crye-Leike
• Brenda Hampton, Crye-Leike
• Donald Higgins, Crye-Leike
• Denise Martin, Prudential Collins-Maury
• Lynn Pfund, Keller Williams
• Bertha Pitts, Crye-Leike
• Jo Shaner, Keller Williams
• John Thompson, Germantown Properties
• Carlo van Rantwyk, Crye-Leike

Affiliate Category:

• Mary Davis, Howard Davis Appraisals
• Judy Stanley, Crump Mortgage

The REALTOR® winner for 2008 is Jo Shaner, who brings excitement and enthusiasm to every volunteer effort she undertakes.  Jo is involved with several organizations, including Youth Villages, the St. Vincent de Paul Soup Kitchen, Habitat for Humanity and KW Cares. 

Judy Stanley was honored as the Affiliate member winner for 2008.  Judy has been a member of the U.S. Naval Reserve for eight years, and works with the St. Jude Marathon, Grace Place Ministries- Mark Luttrell Federal Prison for Women, the Alzheimer’s Association of Memphis, American Cancer Society and Habitat for Humanity.  She is also active on the boards of the Mid-South Fair, National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame, and the Auto Zone Liberty Bowl.