From the President’s Desk

Dear CCAR Members,

I am both honored and excited to serve as your President of the Champaign County Association of REALTORS®. This is my first newsletter in this role, and I look forward to serving all of our members—seasoned brokers, newer agents, affiliates, and everyone who makes our association strong. Your success is our success, and I am committed to continuing the tools, education, advocacy, and community connections that help you thrive.

I especially look forward to working with our committees and committee chairs. The real heart of CCAR is the dedicated volunteers who drive education, advocacy, community outreach, membership engagement, and more. Together we will build on the strong foundation left by past leaders and keep advancing our mission of advocating for consumers, empowering members, and advancing real estate.

One important conversation currently underway involves a possible merger with the Mid-Illinois REALTORS® Association (MIRA). MIRA, based in Bloomington, has been expanding its reach across mid- and southern Illinois through strategic consolidations and chapters (including the recent addition of the Egyptian Board of REALTORS®). These discussions focus on potential member benefits such as shared resources, enhanced education and technology, stronger advocacy, greater efficiency, economy of scale, and strength in numbers.   Also, remaining focused on preserving the local identity, community focus, and high level of member service that make CCAR special. We will keep you informed as the conversations progress and welcome your thoughts and questions.

I am also proud to share that CCAR has partnered with Habitat for Humanity of Champaign County as a sponsor for the next five years. Habitat for Humanity of Champaign County is a locally run affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International and a Christian housing ministry dedicated to eliminating poverty housing. It builds simple, dec ent, and affordable homes in partnership with families in need, using sweat equity, zero-interest mortgages, free homebuyer education and counseling, and support from its ReStore (which sells donated building materials and household goods to fund the mission). Habitat works across Champaign County (including Champaign, Urbana, and Rantoul), aims to build multiple homes each year, and provides financial literacy and homeownership counseling to hundreds of families annually. A sustained sponsorship aligns directly with our values of promoting sustainable homeownership and being good neighbors. It will strengthen our long-standing support for Habitat and create additional opportunities for member volunteerism and engagement.

Please reach out if you’d like to join a committee, share input on the MIRA discussions, or learn more about the Habitat partnership. I’m here for you, and I look forward to what we will accomplish together.

In service,

Casey Ryan

President

Champaign County Association of REALTORS®

Coldwell Banker Real Estate Group