CAMB and the WRMBC team up to help California wildfire victimsGeorge L. DuarteCharity,wildfire,California
In October and November of 2003, California suffered its worst
wildfire season in 40 years. Extremely dry conditions, Santa Ana
winds and a late-fall rainy season combined to devastate thousands
of acres and hundreds of homes in San Diego, Riverside, San
Bernardino, Ventura and Los Angeles counties. Over 40 people lost
their lives and hundreds of others lost everything else. Mistakenly
believing that if they didn't have a loan against their home that
they didn't need homeowners insurance, many senior citizens had no
insurance at all.
Enter the Western Regional Mortgage Brokers Conference. At the
2003 WRMBC in Las Vegas, members voted to donate $25,000 to the
California Association of Mortgage Brokers for distribution to fire
victims in the affected areas. Additionally, the Pennsylvania
Association of Mortgage Brokers stepped up and also committed
$2,500 to CAMB.
CAMB 2003-2004 President Leon Huntting felt that CAMB should
raise matching funds of $25,000 from within the CAMB Chapters to
have a total of $50,000 or more to distribute to fire victims, and
requested that I undertake that task as CAMB Community Services
Committee Chair. In addition to raising the matching funds, I was
also tasked with determining suitable charitable organizations that
work hands-on, locally and directly with fire victims. It was of
paramount importance to us that the funds go directly to local
organizations working within the affected communities. Using the
donated monies, CAMB established an account dedicated specifically
to victims' relief called the Fire Victims Relief Fund.
On April 29, the first phase of our efforts came to fruition
when I, Scott Gaffney from the WRMBC, and CAMB San Diego Chapter
President Rory Cambra met representatives from four local charities
at the headquarters of the Ramona Fire Relief Group, in the small
town of Ramona in northern San Diego County. This is only three
miles from the famous San Diego Wild Safari Park and it's chilling
to think that hundreds of exotic animals were at risk, as well as
the many people living in the area. In Ramona, we presented four
checks in the amount of $7,500 each to the Julian, Ramona, Valley
Center and East County fire relief organizations. We had a chance
to spend quality time and see what services these groups are
offering and the profiles of the people and families they are
helping. We were shown notebooks filled with families who had
registered for services, damages they suffered and the types of
items they continue to need. Mundane items like furniture, house
wares, kitchen items, bedding and tools were all in great
demand.
We were told that only $18,000 was raised from the small town of
Ramona and that those funds were exhausted. Then CAMB comes in,
like the white knight, with a surprise $7,500, all in a lump sum,
literally in the nick of time. The other three groups told us
similar stories. It is very difficult to convey the feelings we had
when we experienced the extreme gratitude of these folks.
After our meeting, we went on a tour of a local fire-damaged
area, Mussey Grade Canyon. There we saw the burnt-out remains of
homes and charred foundations, with their owners and prior
residents living in recreational vehicles parked next to them--a
truly disturbing sight. It wasn't hard to imagine the terror of the
people fleeing the flash fire down the narrow two-lane, canyon road
with huge propane tanks exploding and flames relentlessly pursuing
them. It was like a horror film, except that it was as real as it
gets.
At the end of the day, as we returned to San Diego Airport, we
reflected on our good fortune and how we were able to make such a
huge difference in people's lives. But then again, brokers do that
on a regular basis, don't we?
We are currently working on phase two of the donations,
reviewing needs in the Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino
County areas, which are the other main regions of devastation in
the October/November fires. When they ask you why you belong to
CAMB or the National Association of Mortgage Brokers, now you have
yet another reason to list.
George L. Duarte is the California Association of Mortgage
Brokers Community Services Committee Chair, as well as president
and co-owner of Fremont, Calif.-based Horizon Financial Associates.
He can be reached by phone at (800) 956-6663 or e-mail at
[email protected].
