Scholarship fund launched to honor slain IREM member Bette Fears

Bette Fears, Accredited Residential Manager (ARM), an honored member of the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM), was tragically murdered in the line of duty while serving as an apartment community manager in Coeur d'Alene, ID. In recognition of Fears' contributions to the real estate management profession, the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM) Foundation, together with IREM's Spokane, WA-based Inland Northwest Chapter No. 49, with which Bette was affiliated, have launched the Bette Fears, ARM, Memorial Scholarship Fund. In announcing the new fund, IREM Foundation president, E. Craig Suhrbier, CPM, said, "Bette touched so many IREM lives locally, regionally and across the country because she valued greatly her interaction with others. As a member of the IREM Foundation's Scholarship Committee, she cared deeply for all scholarship applicants because of their desire to further their career and enhance their professionalism." The Bette Fears, ARM, Memorial Scholarship Fund will join three other programs - the Paul H. Rittle Sr. Memorial Scholarship, the Donald M. Furbush Scholarship, and the George M. Brooker Collegiate Scholarship for Minorities - that Bette helped to advance over many years. Funding will provide support for individuals who pursue an ARM credential, like Bette's, as well as those with ARM certification seeking to earn the Certified Property Manager (CPM) designation. Scholarships will be available to members of IREM Inland Northwest Chapter No. 49 and others around the country. According to Suhrbier, the IREM Foundation will soon invite IREM Members, real estate management organizations, apartment owners, and other interested parties to support the Bette Fears, ARM, Memorial Scholarship Fund. Contributions, which are tax deductible, should be made payable to the IREM Foundation and mailed to foundation headquarters at 430 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60611. Donors will receive a letter from the foundation acknowledging their gift.