MRIS Donates $30,000 to Local Charities in Support of Japan Disaster Relief
May 31, 2011
As part of the MRIS Cares project, MRIS today announced the donation of $15,000 to Help the Children, $10,000 to the Asian Real Estate Association of America, and $5,000 to the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department. MRIS is the leading developer of real estate technology and the nation’s largest multiple listings service (MLS).
MRIS Cares, a corporate program established last year after the Haiti earthquake, proactively selects local, national and international charitable opportunities for MRIS engagement at multiple intervals throughout the calendar year or in times of disaster.
The MRIS Cares Japan Disaster Relief project, lead by Diane Smith, MRIS Director of Project Management and head of the MRIS Cares, considered five organizations before Jim Bard and Scott Lederer, MRIS Board of Directors and Charitable Contributions Committee members, selected the three finalists based on direct donation impact, connection to housing assistance and opportunity for local support.
“Our hearts went out to the people of Japan during this unimaginable crisis. Though halfway around the world, we have all been touched by this tragedy,” says David Charron, CEO of MRIS. “We express our deepest sympathy for the victims and for their families, and are committed to supporting the recovery efforts as much as possible. As a an organization based around the emotional and financial value of a home, we wanted to show our support to a nation working to rebuild lives, families and communities that have suffered such grave hardship.”
In response to the earthquake and tsunami in Japan the three charities selected by MRIS Cares are all working to bring aid swiftly to those affected. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) mobilized approximately 72 personnel from the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department using approximately 75 tons of rescue equipment, therefore MRIS selected them for their immediate response from the local area. MRIS donated funds will go directly to the Asian Real Estate Association of America relief fund to assist people in Japan’s Tohuku region to rebuild their homes. MRIS’ donation to Help the Children will send hundreds of food, medicine, and water boxes to the devastated Northern region of Japan.
The monetary donations are a combination of corporate philanthropy and individual MRIS employees participating in the “Skip Lunch, Help a Bunch” campaign. During the month of April MRIS employees donated their lunch money to the Japan disaster relief efforts in exchange for a pizza lunch provided by the MRIS Executive Management team.
The MRIS Cares Japan Disaster Relief project had 100% staff participation between April 8 and May 1. “We were all shocked and saddened by the earthquake in Japan, and to be able to contribute with the MRIS Cares program is really fantastic,” states MRIS Support Center Instructor, Daniel Goldberg. “I am proud of our contributions, big or small, and that we are helping to give aid anyway we can.”
