National Association of Realtors® Honors 2020 Good Neighbor Award Finalists
Ten finalists recognized for continued impact in their communities despite pandemic-induced challenges
The National Association of Realtors® has selected 10 Realtors® as finalists for its 2020 Good Neighbor Awards. This award honors Realtors® who make an extraordinary difference in their communities through volunteer work. This is the 21st year the Good Neighbor Awards have recognized Realtor® volunteers who donate time, money and passion to enrich the lives of people in their communities.
“Despite the challenges presented by COVID-19, these Realtors® have continued to help their neighbors in impactful and inspiring ways,” said NAR President Vince Malta, a broker at Malta & Co., Inc., in San Francisco, CA. “I am so proud to honor this year’s Good Neighbor Award finalists for their outstanding volunteer work and for exemplifying everything we strive to be as Realtors® and as engaged, compassionate members of a community.”
In the coming weeks, five winners will be selected by a multi-stage, criteria-based judging process. Winners will receive a $10,000 grant and national media exposure for their community charity, including a feature in the November/December issue of REALTOR® Magazine. The winners will also be recognized at the virtual REALTORS® Conference & Expo this November, while five honorable mention selections will receive a $2,500 grant for their respective nonprofit organizations.
The public is invited to weigh in on the 10 finalists at realtor.com/goodneighbor between September 2 and October 2, as a $2,500 award will go to the top vote-getter and the second and third place winners will each earn $1,250. These ‘Web Choice Favorites’ along with the five judged winners will be announced on October 6.
Realtor.com® is the primary sponsor of the Good Neighbor Awards program and also funds the Web Choice Favorite grants awarded as a result of the public vote.
“The events of this past year have only reinforced how important homes and communities are to the fabric of our society, and the Good Neighbor Awards finalists exemplify the commitment to others that we all need right now,” said realtor.com® CMO Mickey Neuberger. “In a time of social distance, the Realtors® recognized by these awards have found ways to bring people together to achieve the greater good.”
The 10 National Association of Realtors® Good Neighbor Awards finalists (and links to their profile articles) are:
Eric and Janet Baucom, Coastlands Real Estate Group; Ventura, Calif.
Cofounders of Project Bicycle Love, Eric, and Janet Baucom have donated 350 bikes and helmets to foster and low-income children and to teenagers who lack a means of transportation to work. These gifts provide kids with some independence amidst an unstable home life. magazine.realtor/EricJanetBaucom
Linda K. Brown, Amax Real Estate; Springfield, Mo.
Cofounder of Eden Village, Linda Brown transforms abandoned mobile home properties into villages of tiny homes that provide permanent housing to the chronically disabled homeless. To date, Brown and her husband have raised $4.75 million to place 36 tiny homes, with the goal of making their hometown a city “where no one sleeps outside.” magazine.realtor/LindaBrown
Jeff Fields, Russ Lyon Sotheby’s International Realty; Scottsdale, Ariz.
After losing several friends to suicide, Jeff Fields, past board president of Teen Lifeline, is committed to saving teens from what he calls “the most preventable death.” Under Fields’s leadership, the organization serves more than 28,000 youth through a peer-to-peer teen crisis hotline while providing community education on suicide prevention. magazine.realtor/JeffFields
Debra Griggs, RE/MAX Central; Norfolk, Va.
Since 1999, Debra Griggs has provided housing for 1,200 pets through her nonprofit, Animal Resources of Tidewater, in addition to offering spay/neuter services and veterinary care funding for low-income families. Griggs’s efforts as a state-level lobbyist for animal rights have significantly reduced Virginia’s shelter intake numbers and increased pet save rates. magazine.realtor/DebraGriggs
Tamara House, RE/MAX Centerstone; Lafayette, Ind.
To honor her son’s memory, Tamara House raised $3.6 million to cofound Grant’s House, an after-school and summer program for children with special needs. House used her real estate experience and relationships with contractors to renovate the 50,000-square-foot building, which now features 20 rooms with various activities and recreation opportunities offered for children with disabilities. magazine.realtor/TamaraHouse
Vickie Lobo, Einstein Realty; Fontana, Calif.
Cancer survivor Vickie Lobo founded Knock Knock Angels to help people start over after they’ve faced and overcome difficult situations like domestic violence, homelessness, and drug addiction. Lobo partners with local philanthropic and community organizations to furnish new apartments with donated furniture, dishes, towels, and anything else these individuals would need to begin their new life. magazine.realtor/VickieLobo
Greg Masucci, Coldwell Banker Residential; Washington, D.C. and Atoka Properties; Purcellville, Va.
Greg Masucci and his wife founded a nonprofit farm that employs young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. These young men and women learn to grow produce from seed to harvest, attend farmer’s markets as ambassadors for people with disabilities, and enjoy an environment that builds their skills and confidence. magazine.realtor/GregMasucci
Sandra Nardoci, Berkshire Hathaway Blake; Albany, N.Y.
As co-founder and lead volunteer for the Capital District YMCA’s Circle of Champs, Sandra Nardoci has spent 28 years dedicated to improving the quality of life for children with chronic, life-threatening illnesses. Kids attend a free summer day camp and whole families are invited to participate in monthly social events and activities at no cost, creating a community bond for parents and siblings all experiencing similar circumstances. magazine.realtor/SandraNardoci
Janice Ash Sialiano, Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Advantage Surfside; Surfside Beach, S.C.
After volunteering when Hurricane Hugo devastated her coastal community, Janice Ash Sialiano wanted to do more. Inspired by neighbors who had nowhere to spend the holidays, she founded the Community Christmas Dinner. Thirty-two years later and on a much grander scale, the event has grown to require more than 500 volunteers to serve 12,000 guests each year. magazine.realtor/JaniceAshSialiano
Linda Wolf, KW Metro Center; Alexandria, Va.
By donating new toys and high-tech electronics, Linda Trinkle Wolf makes hospital stays and scary medical treatments easier for the children of active-duty military parents. Her nonprofit, Mission: M4, funds $50,000 movie players for MRI machines at military hospitals – including the Walter Reed Medical Center – to help ease kids’ anxiety during difficult and often life-altering procedures. magazine.realtor/LindaTrinkleWolf
NAR’s Good Neighbor Awards program is supported by primary sponsor realtor.com® and Wells Fargo Home Lending. Nominees were judged on their personal contribution of time as well as financial and material contributions to benefit their cause.
