TAA President’s Message: Making a Difference, One Arm at a Time
Synopsis
TAA President Kelley Liserio spotlights our new statewide charitable initiative for this year and encourages members to get involved.
One of the things I love most about the rental housing industry – and there are many things I LOVE about this industry – is how our members give back to their communities. And I don’t mean just the things we do that benefit our rental housing communities and our residents, but also how we make a difference in the cities and towns we live in.
In considering a charitable initiative for TAA to support in 2024, I have joined forces with Leah Christian with WeDoTrash, who is chairing TAA’s Product/Service Council this year, to identify an effort that has the kind of broad-reaching impact that can make a meaningful difference in the lives of Texans and one that we think will resonate with all of our members. We were thrilled to be able to announce the initiative for this year during the recent TAA ONE Conference in San Antonio, and I’m excited to share it all with you here, as well.
We are all passionate about the rental housing industry, and for me, especially about providing housing to 7 million Texans. That’s a lot of people! And when tragedy strikes, many of our own are affected. While there are many great causes that we can contribute to financially, the need for blood donations requires a very personal, very human contribution.
For 2024, TAA and our Product/Service Council are encouraging our local associations and our members to participate in blood drives and give back to their communities. This is an initiative that is near and dear to my heart, and we launched the effort in partnership with the South Texas Blood and Tissue Center Foundation.
During the TAA ONE Conference, we asked members to contribute financially to support the launch of the initiative. And to kick things off in a significant way, TAA made a $2,000 charitable donation in honor of our 2024 ONE Conference speakers.
But that was just the beginning. At the TAA Board of Directors meeting in July, we’re organizing a blood drive for our board members and meeting attendees, and we’re inviting a representative from the South Texas Blood & Tissue Center Foundation to share the importance of our participation – not just as a board, but as an industry.