Wednesday afternoon, I had the honor of presenting one Habitat for Humanity family with the keys to a brand new home – a home that the REALTORS® built.

Now, I have participated in Habitat for Humanity builds many times. Last year, at our Conference & Expo in Orlando, I had the honor of presenting a Bible to the proud new homeowners. But this year was the most special experience I have ever had.

You see, the family we helped have a unique appreciation for what it means to be homeowners. Abdi Farah, his wife, Amran Abdi, are originally from Somalia and spent their early years in refugee camps. Her father moved to the United States in 1993, and works for the U.S. Postal Service. He has been a proud homeowner for ten years.

As new U.S. citiens, Abdi and Amran wanted to have a home of their own to raise their three young children. Thanks to all of you, they now have that opportunity.

As I said at the ceremony yesterday, people might think that in these tough economic times our members wouldn’t want a portion of their conference registration to go toward building a home. But, that’s the difference between REALTORS® and everybody else. Helping people achieve the dream of homeownership isn’t just our job, it’s our passion.

I have never been more proud to represent you as your President. And, on behalf of NAR, I thank everyone who helped to make this family’s dream a reality. – Charles McMillan, 2009 NAR President