Sept. 8, 2020

Contact: Kim Walker

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – As North Carolina residents endure nearly six months of partial shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Haywood County area Realtors® remain firmly committed to community outreach and unwavering in their mission to serve those most in need at the grassroots level.

Haywood County area Realtors® gathered online for the inaugural Canopy Housing Foundation Opening Hearts, Opening Doors virtual celebration on Sept. 8 to award $18,700 in grants to area nonprofits working to address unmet housing and educational needs in the local area.

Five area non-profit organizations received a total of $14,200 in Community Grants this year:

The EACH Initiative, Inc. (Ending Area Child Homelessness)

• Received $3,000 to accelerate the entry of homeless children and their parent(s) into the EACH Program, where a case manager and a PWC (People Who Care) group partner with the family as they transition from homelessness to a position of self-sustainability over a two-year period.
• Realtor^® referral: Amy Spivey, ERA Sunburst Realty

Haywood Pathways Center

• Received $3,000 to provide one month’s rental relief for six families at an estimated cost of $500 per family, in collaboration with the Haywood County Health and Human Services Agency.
• Realtor^® referral: Multiple members of the RE/MAX Executive office in Waynesville

Jacob’s Dream House

• Received $3,000 to purchase two refrigerators, two electric stoves, and two $100 grocery gift cards at a cost of $1,500 each for two families.
• Realtor^® referral:  Mary Leatherwood, ERA Sunburst Realty

Mountain Projects

• Received $2,200 to purchase portable power tools that can be moved from one construction site to the next to build homes in two affordable housing developments.
• Realtor^® referral: Marlyn Dickinson, RE/MAX Executive

The Arc of Haywood County, Inc.

• Received $3,000 to hire a consultant to develop and implement a strategic plan to address the barriers to affordable and accessible housing for individuals who have an intellectual and/or developmental disability.
• Realtor^® referral: Mark Zaffrann, Beverly-Hanks & Associates, Realtors^®

The Foundation’s Habitat Support Program, which has supported Iredell and Mecklenburg County area Habitats for Humanity since 2007, awarded Haywood Habitat for Humanity $3,000 in funding to purchase materials to frame a new home build on Sylvan Street in Waynesville. 

The Foundation has a mission of Realtors® creating housing opportunities through advocacy, education, funding and leadership. In keeping with the educational partnership that area Realtors® have forged with Haywood County Schools Foundation, two educational scholarships in the amount of $750 each were bestowed upon Tuscola High School graduate Joseph Smart and Pisgah High School graduate Walker Beasley. Joseph and Walker were both honors student-athletes who made commitments to community service. Joseph is the son of Tim and Kathy Smart, and Walker is the son of Brian Beasley and Brooke Franklin.

The Canopy Housing Foundation’s Community Grants Program originated in 2009 and traditionally has been open to nonprofit organizations in Mecklenburg and Iredell counties that address housing issues. With the merger between Canopy Realtor® Association and the Haywood Realtor® Association in 2020, the Community Grants program now extends support to nonprofits and the Habitat for Humanity program in Haywood County.  Each grantee must be supported by a letter of recommendation from an active Realtor®.

Applications for the annual Community Grants Program are rated according to community impact, project feasibility, fiscal strength and Realtor® support.  Funds are restricted and must be used by December 31, 2020.  Funds cannot be used for capital costs, staff/administrative expenses or debt reduction.

To date, Canopy Housing Foundation has distributed $586,749.70 through the Community Grants Program and the Habitat Support Program to community organizations and Habitats in the Charlotte region (and now Haywood County) over the past 14 years. The Foundation looks forward to expanding and continuing this tradition of support in Haywood County.

Canopy Housing Foundation serves as the charitable arm of Canopy Realtor® Association and is dedicated to creating a community where all housing needs are met. The Foundation and its core of Realtor® volunteers work toward this goal through funding, education, advocacy and leadership programs that are focused on fair and affordable housing and workforce-housing initiatives.

For more information about Canopy Housing Foundation, Canopy Realtor® Association or Canopy MLS, visit www.CarolinaHome.com.

Canopy Housing Foundation is the charitable arm of the Canopy Realtor^® Association and is dedicated to funding, education, advocacy and leadership programs that are focused on fair and affordable housing and workforce-housing initiatives. The foundation serves to position and educate Realtors^® as leaders, promote homeownership and provide funding to create housing opportunities. To learn more about the impact area Realtors® are making visit canopyhousingfoundation.org.

Original Publish Date: 9/8/2020