Bel Air, CA – April 27, 2010 - On April 15, Ben Salem Properties hosted a benefit to raise funds
for a charity working to provide solutions to help protect one of the growing casualties of the foreclosure market: the family pet.
Salem and his Elite REO team co-organized a casino-style party and fundraiser at the parker
Palm Springs Resort in Palms Springs, which drew an estimated 100 real estate and mortgage sector professionals to raise money for Houston-based No Paws Left Behind, which provides help for animals who are abandoned by their owners in the foreclosure process.
“Casino Night,” which raised roughly $25,000 for No Paws, is one of several planned fundraisers for the charity slated for locations around the country to help spread awareness of this devastating byproduct of the foreclosure crisis. Salem said his staff made the decision to do something to help these animals after coming face-to-face with abandoned pets at several bank-owned properties in his REO servicers’ portfolio, included three cats and a dog left behind in a lock out property in the San Fernando Valley.
“So many animals are being abandoned each day as more and more families are being forced into a new living situation where they may not be able to take a pet, or when they must choose between paying for groceries and taking care of the family dog,” said Salem. “No Paws is doing something fantastic to help out and we are so pleased to be part of that.”
Salem teamed up with No Paws founder Cheryl Lang, president of Integrated Mortgage Solutions, Inc. (IMS), also in Houston, to help raise awareness and money to help care for these abandoned animals and transition them into new homes. Lang estimates that roughly one million pets including cats, dogs, birds, horses, and other animals, are at risk as the foreclosure crisis continues to mount. And, with most animal shelters already at full capacity and working on limited funds themselves, they simply do not have the recourses to handle the influx.
Participants in the No Paws fundraiser “gambled” for the cause in style at black jack, poker, roulette and other casino games. Salem’s team helped put together a highly successful raffle and silent auction for the event that included donations from Tiffany & Co. worth roughly $20,000, as well as an autographed Fender Squier bullet guitar from the band Linkin Park and backstage passes to one of the group’s upcoming concerts.
Lang said she was overwhelmed by the number of real estate professionals that took part in the e
vent, saying the funds will go a long way to help distressed homeowners and their pets.
“We had an absolutely fabulous turnout and I just can’t thank everyone enough for being so supportive of what we are doing,” said Lang.
The No Paws outreach team also works directly with families in foreclosure, providing assistance with vet bills, food, and help with finding pet-friendly alternative housing and money for cover pet deposits, if necessary. No Paws also provides funding to pay for shelter adoption fees for the animals that are left behind, as well as fees to cover vaccinations and spay or neutering procedures.