local causes large and small, and volunteering their time to help
improve the communities in which they live. Ten such Realtors® were
recognized today by the National Association of Realtors® as finalists
for REALTOR®Magazine's 2012 Good Neighbor Awards. This year marks the
13th year the Good Neighbor Awards program has recognized Realtors®
who improve the quality of life in their communities through volunteer
work. The Realtors® acknowledged by this program over the years donate
their time, money and passion to creating a positive impact and
addressing critical needs in the community.
In October five winners will be selected from among the 10 finalists
and will receive travel expenses to the 2012 REALTORS® Conference &
Expo in Orlando, Fla., where they will receive their awards. Winners
will also receive national media exposure and a $10,000 grant for
their community cause. The five honorable mentions will receive a
$2,500 grant. The winners will be featured in the November/December
issue of REALTOR® Magazine."Realtors® are an integral part to a
successful community," said NAR President Moe Veissi, broker-owner of
Veissi & Associates Inc., in Miami. "The Good Neighbor Awards reminds
us of that, as well as recognizes NAR members who spend their time and
energy to better the lives of those in need. I am proud to honor these
ten Realtors® and help them grow their efforts so they can help even
more people through their selfless work."
The 10 Realtor® Magazine Good Neighbor Awards finalists are:
Rocco "Rocky" Balsamo, The Rocky Balsamo Real Estate Group/Long &
Foster, Princeton Junction, N.J.
Balsamo is founding board member and volunteer executive director for
Center for FaithJustice, a nonprofit that promotes volunteerism among
teens and young adults. CFJ runs summer day camps and sleep away camps
as well as other year-round workshops for schools and churches. Last
year, more than 900 teens volunteered more than 20,000 hours in local
charities and spent a similar number of hours in education classes.
Charlene M. Brennan, Strano & Associates Real Estate, Fairview
Heights, Ill.
For 17 years, Brennan has been dedicated to helping serve the Rotary
District 6510's Belizean Children's Program. She travels to Belize
once a year with physicians to identify children who will come to the
United States for orthopedic surgery. She photographs patients,
coordinates their travel, and recruits host families to care for them.
While they are in the U.S., she coordinates their medical care,
testing, and physical therapy until they are ready to return home to
their families in Belize.
Georgia L. Butterfield, Legacy Real Estate & Associates, Fremont, Calif.
For 18 years, Butterfield has led the nonprofit Adopt An Angel,
providing holiday gifts for more than 8,000 of the country's most
needy children. She helped provide gifts for 800 children in 2011
alone. The children, who are living in group homes, shelters, foster
care or low-income homes, make wish lists of three gifts. Butterfield
finds people to buy what's on the list and procures donated warehouse
space, and recruits volunteers to shop, wrap, tag and deliver the
gifts during the holiday season.
Michael Ray Campbell, Broker Associate, Coldwell Banker Residential
Brokerage, Tucson, Ariz.
Campbell is president of the nonprofit Hearth Foundation, which
provides transitional housing for low-income families, typically women
with young children. He is credited for reorganizing and stabilizing
the organization, strengthening the board, and creating effective
partnerships with other organizations to provide services to the
residents. Campbell recently won a $720,000 grant, which will allow
the organization to make much-needed renovations to their apartments.
Regina "Ginger" Dowdle, Sunrise Realty & Development, Statesville, N.C.
Dowdle and her husband founded The Shepherd's Watch Ministries, which
offers summer camp to the community, as well as a year-round
residential program for at-risk youths ages 13-18, in foster care, on
their 60-acre farm. The residential program focuses on teens who will
likely age out of foster care without being adopted. The goal is to
teach these youths much needed skills to help prepare them for
independent living. The Dowdles have foster parented more than 20
youths since 2005, adopting two boys with another adoption in process.
Ginger Dowdle is a member of the Charlotte Regional Realtor®
Association and was the winner of the Association's 2011 Humanitarian
Award, where The Shepherd's Watch Ministries received a $2,000
donation and crystal award.
Ortrud "Trudy" Harsh, Associate Broker, Long & Foster, Fairfax, Va.
Harsh founded The Brain Foundation in 2003 to address the growing need
for affordable housing for mentally ill adults who might otherwise be
homeless. The foundation has since purchased six homes that house 24
adults with brain diseases like schizophrenia, bi-polar disorder or
chronic depression. She has formed a successful partnership with
another nonprofit to provide residents with services that allow them
to live independently. Her model has been copied in Florida and she
frequently mentors others who are trying to create similar programs.
Geoffrey W. Lavell, Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate-Desert
Properties, Henderson, Nev.
Lavell devotes hundreds of volunteer hours to the Nevada Childhood
Cancer Foundation. A survivor of childhood cancer himself, Lavell is a
15-year volunteer and co-director of Camp Cartwheel, a summer
overnight camp for children with cancer or other catastrophic diseases
and their siblings. He also leads a puppet show program that travels
to schools to educate children about these illnesses and the
importance of welcoming back a child who is re-entering school after
long illness.
Patti M. Miller, Tierra Antigua Realty, Sierra Vista, Ariz.
Miller is founder and president of Real Wishes Foundation. Since 2006,
the organization has granted home repair wishes for the elderly and
disabled as well as other wishes throughout their community. Miller
sprang into action during recent Arizona wildfires and flooding,
collecting $1 million worth of food, clothes, and places to stay for
victims who lost everything. The foundation, which is supported by the
Southeast Arizona Association of REALTORS®, also distributed $130,000
in donations to victims to help pay for losses.
Kathleen Peck, All in One Realty Group Inc., Naples, Fla.
Peck cofounded Lighthouse of Collier, Inc. in 2009. The organization
provides services to help the blind and visually impaired function
more independently and improve their quality of life. Legally blind
herself, Peck raises funds to provide free summer camp for blind
children, counseling and skills training for adults transitioning to
blindness, and support for caregivers.
Sally Rudloff, Kane & Associates, Alameda, Calif.
As volunteer president of the Alameda Boys and Girls Club, Rudloff, is
credited with incredible growth that will allow the club to expand
from serving 1,200 children to 3,000. Rudloff led a $10 million
capital campaign that built a new 25,000 sq. ft. youth center. She
also launched a dental clinic for uninsured children, recruited math
teachers for a new tutoring program, and created partnerships that
provide counseling for 50 families.
REALTOR® Magazine's Good Neighbor Awards is sponsored by Lowe's and
HouseLogic. In addition to the grant awards, each of the Good Neighbor
Award winners will receive a $2,000 Lowe's gift card, and each of the
honorable mentions will receive a $1,000 Lowe's gift card.
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 finalists is available
at www.REALTOR.org/gna.
Lowe's (www.lowes.com) has worked with customers to maintain and
improve their homes since 1946. Lowe's is proud to support the Good
Neighbor Awards. Lowe's is a proud supporter of Habitat for Humanity
International, American Red Cross, SkillsUSA/SkillsCanada, and The
Nature Conservancy, in addition to numerous nonprofit organizations
and programs that help communities in North America. In 2011, Lowe's
and the Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation together
contributed more than $30 million to support community and education
projects in North America. Lowe's also encourages volunteerism through
the Lowe's Heroes program, a company-wide employee volunteer
initiative. Lowe's, a proud partner in NAR's REALTOR Benefits®
Program, brings Realtors® exclusive benefits to help build
relationships with their customers, generate referrals and expand
their client base. The benefits program is featured
onwww.LowesRealtorBenefits.com.
HouseLogic, www.houselogic.com, is a free source of information and
tools from the National Association of Realtors® that can help
homeowners make smart and timely decisions about their home. With
content covering home improvement, maintenance, taxes, finance,
insurance, and even ways to get involved in and enrich their
community, HouseLogic can help homeowners increase and protect the
value of their home by helping them make confident decisions.
The National Association of RealtorsÒ, "The Voice for Real Estate," is
America's largest trade association, representing 1 million members
involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate
industries.
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