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The Community Service Award:  On Oct 2004, the Northwest Ohio Food Bank ‘Donor of the Year Awards’ were presented to Toledo Real Estate Investors Association and the Westhaven Group, one of Toledo REIA’s members. Westhaven Group donated the house and Toledo REIA members volunteered time and labor to renovate. The home was auctioned off (free by a Toledo REIA member Beth Rose Auctions for a profit near $35,000 which was donated to the Food Bank. Members Al Turski & Sue Hicks head the “Donate-a-House Program”. Once the original house was done, Al started taking houses that Joe Public didn’t want and getting them quickly to investors. With a lot of  ingenuity and investor business sense, this has grown into one or more houses a month being turned from burdens on their owners or on the tax rolls to benefiting the Food Bank. This spring we even a changed a 6 bed, 28 ft yacht from a coast guard auxiliary donor into cash for the Food Bank.