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NAIOP-MARYLAND DEVELOPING LEADERS DONATE TIME, MONEY TO HELP CHESAPEAKE HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
Baltimore, MD (October 14, 2008) – On an average and typical day, Christina Fenton can be found showing office, flex or industrial space for White Marsh-based CSG Partners, LLC, negotiating a lease or working on the development firm’s latest marketing strategy. But, on this atypical day last week, the real estate professional traded her high heels for work boots and donned a hard hat and rubber gloves as she joined seventeen other members of the “Developing Leaders” section of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP), Maryland Chapter in Baltimore City.
Their destination was three row homes situated along Jefferson Street that needed lots of attention and even more work. From 8 am to 4 pm, the volunteer crew installed sheathing for a new roof, waterproofed basements, installed floor joists, repaired drywall and performed general clean-up duty. And when they were finished, they presented a $2500.00 check to the Chesapeake Habitat for Humanity who, for the time being, owns the properties.
“Periodically throughout the day I was thinking about all the phone calls and e-mails that I could be answering,” Christina Fenton explained. “But, at the same time, I looked around – saw all the hard work and improvements that were taking place – and realized this was the best use of my time at that moment,” she added.
Chesapeake Habitat for Humanity is a non-profit organization that helps families build and purchase affordable housing and, one day, the homes on North Duncan Street will be inhabited by Baltimore-area families that could not afford this type of dwelling on their own.
The group works in partnership with families in need of housing to build simple, decent and affordable homes. Houses are sold to qualified homebuyers at no profit through no-interest mortgage loans. To become eligible for this program, homebuyers must first meet the requirements of Chesapeake Habitat’s program, including the completion of 350 “sweat equity” hours. This entails working alongside thousands of community volunteers to complete homes in Baltimore City communities.
“There were many great causes from which to choose, but the objectives and overall philosophy of Chesapeake Habitat for Humanity most mirrors our own,” explained Dianna Wilhelm, the membership chair for NAIOP-Maryland and one of the Developing Leaders organizers. “Commercial real estate is our business and we felt we could provide the greatest amount of help and benefit to an organization that utilized our construction management and organizational talents,” she added.
The group intends to help Chesapeake Habitat for Humanity again in the future.
The “Developing Leaders” program targets young professionals involved with or interested in entering the local commercial real estate industry. The membership, which provides the complete spectrum of benefits and services available to the general membership, is open to individuals 35 years of age and under at a reduced annual cost.
The eighteen NAIOP members emerged from their day dirty, mentally fatigued and physically exhausted. But it was a good day.
“At the end of the day in the office, you go home, think about what you accomplished and start planning for the next day. Likewise, in the development world, it takes awhile before you actually see your efforts come to fruition. After working on the row homes, you immediately see the impact we have made and finish the day with a different feeling. You also think about the unknown family that you helped and what the home will mean to the adults and their kids. That is a feeling you want to capture again,” Christina Fenton said.
The NAIOP-Maryland Chapter has more than 300 members and is comprised of individuals working for real estate development companies, brokerage firms and affiliated companies such as financial institutions, architectural firms and engineers. For additional information, visit www.naiopmd.org
NAIOP is the nation's leading trade association for developers, owners, investors and other professionals in industrial, office and mixed-use commercial real estate. Comprised of more than 16,000 members in 55 chapters, it provides networking opportunities, educational programs, research on trends and innovations and strong legislative representation
