WASHINGTON, Sept. 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Over the last
17 years, the Good Neighbor Awards have recognized
Realtors® who dedicate countless volunteer hours to help
others. The five individuals named as this year's
REALTOR® Magazine Good Neighbor Award winners
serve as an example of how Realtors® build and
strengthen communities.
The 2016 Good Neighbor Award winners are: Cindy Barrett, Keller Williams Realty,
Spartanburg, South Carolina,
co-founder of Christmas In Action; Susan
Gruen Helsinger, Douglas Elliman Real Estate, Merrick, New York, founder of The Jason F.
Gruen Research Foundation; Ed
Liebzeit, Jackson Hole Sotheby's International Realty,
Jackson Hole, Wyoming, board
president of Community Safety Network; Wyn
Ray, Coldwell Banker Burnet,
Chaska, Minnesota, for his aid
work in Ethiopia; and Sarah Sorenson, Whale's Tail Realty Inc.,
Wailuku, Hawaii, founder of
Realtors® Wishing Well…for Maui Students.
"This year's Good Neighbor Award winners have gone beyond the
call of duty to improve communities around the U.S. and around the
globe," says National Association of Realtors® President
Tom Salomone, broker-owner of Real
Estate II Inc. in Margate,
Florida. "They touch the lives of those they serve in many
positive ways while also maintaining successful careers in real
estate and supporting their clients on a day-to-day basis."
Each of the five winners will receive a $10,000 grant for their cause and will be
featured in the November/December issue of
REALTOR® Magazine. The recipients will be
presented with crystal trophies on Saturday,
Nov. 5, during the 2016 REALTORS® Conference
& Expo in Orlando.
The Good Neighbor Awards have been granted annually since 2000
and are presented by NAR's REALTOR®
Magazine. More than $1
million in grants have been awarded to the winners'
charities since the inaugural award.
Cindy Barrett, Keller Williams Realty,
Spartanburg, South Carolina
Cindy and her husband cofounded Christmas in Action in 1996
to help low-income people in their community remedy health and
safety issues such as leaky roofs, electrical fire hazards and
rotting floors. Since then, she has inspired thousands of
volunteers — including college students from around the country who
flock to Spartanburg to use their
time off from school in a meaningful way — to complete free home
repairs on more than 800 homes for low-income seniors, people with
disabilities and veterans.
Susan Gruen Helsinger, Douglas Elliman Real
Estate, Merrick, New York
After her teenage son died suddenly at school from an undiagnosed
heart abnormality, Helsinger was determined to do something to
prevent similar tragedies. She founded The Jason F. Gruen Research
Foundation and for 30 years, she has fought to bring awareness,
fund research and equipment, and screen teen athletes so that those
with cardiac issues can seek treatment. Helsinger has raised
nearly $2 million to fund efforts to
understand these ailments and diagnose them early.
Ed Liebzeit, Jackson Hole Sotheby's International
Realty, Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Liebzeit is board president of Community Safety Network, which
provides shelter and advocacy to victims of domestic violence,
sexual assault and stalking. Liebzeit, a Vietnam veteran, oversaw a strategic plan that
emphasizes education and early intervention to encourage people in
the community to recognize warning signs and refer potential
victims. He has raised more than $450,000 since 2015.
Wyn Ray, Coldwell Banker
Burnet, Chaska,
Minnesota
Ray and his wife serve a very remote and forgotten area of
Ethiopia. A former teacher, Ray
created a cooperative effort with villagers in Wekin to improve
living conditions and educational opportunities. Since 2008,
the Rays, now partnering with the nonprofit New Covenant
Foundation, have provided clean water and sanitation to 11,000
people.
Sarah Sorenson, Whale's Tail Realty Inc.,
Wailuku, Hawaii
Sorenson founded Realtors® Wishing Well...for
Maui Students in 2007 to support the chronically underfunded
public schools. Schools create wish lists of needed items,
like school supplies, furniture and computer equipment. Then she
finds donors to supply them. Wishing Well serves 23,000 students in
35 schools in Maui County with
donations valued at $1.5
million.
In addition to the winners, five Realtors® have been
recognized as Good Neighbor Awards honorable mentions and will each
receive $2,500 grants. Tommy
Arnold, Keller Williams Louisville East, Louisville, Kentucky, founded the Feast On
Equality fundraiser to support opportunities for LGBT students at
the University of Louisville;
Pam Harrison, RE/MAX
Executive, Millersville, Maryland,
enlists Realtors® to collect enormous amounts of food
for the Anne Arundel County Food Bank; Danna Johnson, Crye-Leike,
Realtors®, Jonesboro,
Arkansas, has fulfilled wishes for 50 children with
life-threatening medical conditions for Make-A-Wish®
Mid-South; Vince Mirabelli, RE/MAX
First Choice Realty, Thunder Bay,
Ontario, Canada, has raised nearly $500,000 and personally funded a pediatric
endowment for Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation; and
Rhonda & Jerry Overberg, RE/MAX
Best Choice, St. Louis, Missouri,
founded the annual St. Louis Night
of Superstars to recognize children with special needs.
During the month of September, the public cast nearly 42,000
votes for the 10 Good Neighbor Award finalists to determine who
would be named the Web Choice winner. The Good Neighbor finalist
with the most votes was Danna
Johnson, Crye-Leike, Realtors®,
Jonesboro, Arkansas, who will
receive an additional $1,000 bonus
donation for Make-A-Wish® Mid
South courtesy of realtor.com® in
addition to the $2,500 she earned for
being a finalist. Johnson has fulfilled wishes for more than
50 children with life-threatening medical conditions and has raised
more than $3 million.
REALTOR® Magazine 's Good
Neighbor Awards is supported by primary sponsor
realtor.com® and Wells Fargo Home Mortgage. Nominees
were judged on their personal contribution of time as well as
financial and material contributions to benefit their cause. To be
eligible, nominees must be NAR members in good standing. More
information about the Good Neighbor Awards winners is available at
www.realtor.org/gna.
Realtor.com® is the trusted
resource for home buyers, sellers and dreamers, offering the most
comprehensive database of for-sale properties, among competing
national sites, and the information, tools and professional
expertise to help people move confidently through every step of
their home journey. As the official site of the National
Association of
Realtors®, realtor.com® pioneered
the world of digital real estate 20 years ago, and today helps make
all things home simple, efficient and
enjoyable. Realtor.com® is operated by News Corp
[NASDAQ: NWS, NWSA] [ASX: NWS, NWSLV] subsidiary Move, Inc. For
more information, visit realtor.com®.
Wells Fargo Home Mortgage is the nation's leading
originator and servicer of residential mortgages, offering home
loans to consumers through the country's largest network of
mortgage locations and bank branches, online, and via phone. With
more than 7,500 Home Mortgage Consultants across the country and
robust digital capabilities, Wells Fargo is committed to meeting
Realtor® expectations and homebuyer needs. Focused
on a culture of caring for communities, Wells Fargo is a proud new
sponsor of the Good Neighbor Awards to recognize the extraordinary
contributions made by Realtors® in the communities
where we, together, live and serve.
The National Association of Realtors®, "The Voice for
Real Estate," is America's largest trade association, representing
over 1.1 million members involved in all aspects of the residential
and commercial real estate industries.
Information about NAR is available at
www.realtor.org. This and other news releases are
posted in the "News, Blogs and Videos" tab on the website.
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SOURCE National Association of Realtors