HURRICANE KATRINA SURVIVOR AND COLDWELL BANKER AGENT GIVES BACK WITH SOAP FOR HOPE CAMPAIGN

NORTHBROOK, Ill., (Sept. 11, 2009) – Four years after Hurricane Katrina flooded New Orleans, La., and forced millions from their homes, Coldwell Banker agent and now Chicago resident Malki Brown has re-established his family, his life and is giving back to those who made it all possible.

“It’s time to give back to those who gave us so much in our time of need,” Brown said. “It’s time for us to use the past to make the future better.”

In August of 2005, with the threat of Hurricane Katrina lurking a few miles away, the Brown family packed up their car with three days of clothes, a few old photographs, $60 in their pockets and headed to the safety of Texas. They left behind nearly everything they owned, thinking they would be home in less than three days. But as the Browns stayed in their hotel room and watched the storm unfold with the rest of the world, they couldn’t believe what they were seeing. The levees broke leaving streets, homes and cars flooded. Malki knew his family’s home would not be spared.

The days and weeks passed and the Browns were not permitted back in New Orleans or their home. Running out of money, Malki was afraid he would be unable to pay for the hotel, feed his family or fill the car with gas. That’s when the American Red Cross and others stepped in. The organizations paid for the Brown’s hotel stay, fed them three meals a day and helped them fix their broken car, all without asking for a penny in return.

But as generous as the residents of Canton, Texas were, the Browns knew they could not stay there forever. With school starting in less than a week, Malki’s father called from Chicago and offered to let them stay in his South Shore apartment until the family got back on their feet. The Ancona School in Hyde Park also agreed to accept his children transferring in from the New Orleans Public Schools. So after a full week in Canton, Texas, the Browns packed up their few belongings and made their way to Chicago.

A Chicago native, Brown relocated with his wife, Taye, to New Orleans, La., in 2003, after the birth of their second child, so they could be close to Taye’s family. While living in New Orleans, Malki had established himself as a successful real estate agent in the Uptown/Tulane community. Now back in Chicago, he was anxious to rebuild his business on the South Side. Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage’s Hyde Park office offered tremendous support as he took his Illinois real estate license test and got him acquainted with the Chicago real estate market. Today, Brown continues to work at the Coldwell Banker’s Hyde Park office and has already established himself as a successful Realtor.

Although the Browns were rebuilding their lives, they were still dependant on many organizations for financial and emotional support.

“There were so many people and organizations that helped us get through this tragedy,” Brown said. “In a matter of a few days everything we had was gone and we had no way of supporting ourselves. We were truly lost.”

Taye meanwhile, began working on her Masters degree at DePaul University, and focused her attention on her all-natural bath and body product line and company called Sankofa Soaps.  The bath and body company was officially launched in 2002, with the support of The Good Work Network, a 501c3 which provides resources to micro-entrepreneurs and starts-ups.  Sankofa is a Ghanaian word which means, “using the past to better the future”, a concept which lends itself to the company’s mission of using the Earths natural resources to produce today’s best natural products.  The bars of soaps were originally designed to combat their newborn daughter’s eczema skin issues, but over the years gained a following of thousands. If only Taye knew how true those words would mean to her someday.

Four years after the tragic events of Hurricane Katrina, the Brown family is back on their feet and residing in the Hyde Park neighborhood. As both Malki and Taye’s businesses grow, the couple decided it was time to give back to those who helped them by launching the “Soap for Hope” campaign. The couple is contributing 25% of all proceeds from the sale of every bar of soap to several charities and organizations.

“So many people lent us a helping hand, and we are so much better for it,” Brown commented. “It’s time that we give back and help improve someone else’s life now. It’s only natural that we use the product that helped our daughter, to help others.”

The couple hopes to raise $1 million to benefit the Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage Charitable Foundation, The Good Work Network, Hyde Park Suzuki Institute, Muntu Dance Theatre of Chicago and several other organizations. To learn more about the Soap for Hope campaign or make a purchase, visit www.sankofasoap.com.

The Browns hope their contribution to these organizations will help other people in their time of need.

About Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, a leading residential real estate brokerage company serving Chicagoland, Northwest Indiana, Southeast Wisconsin and Southwest Michigan, operates 58 offices with more than 3,800 sales associates. Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage is part of NRT LLC, the nation’s largest residential real estate brokerage company. NRT, a subsidiary of Realogy Corporation, operates Realogy’s company-owned real estate brokerage offices. For more information, please visit www.coldwellbankeronline.com.

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage Charitable Foundation

Mission Statement:

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage Charitable Foundation is a local chapter of the NRT Foundation, a 501(C) (3) nonprofit organization operating as the charitable arm of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage. Our primary purpose is dedicated to raising funds to provide financial assistance to housing-related causes that directly benefit the needs of the people and communities we are privileged to serve. Visit the Foundation’s Web site at www.GiveHousing.com.

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