According to the National Association of REALTORS®’ (NAR) Community Aid and Real Estate report, nearly 70 percent of REALTORS® volunteer in their community each month. REALTORS® play a critical role in the process of buying and selling homes, and many help make their communities better places to live and work by undertaking various impactful volunteer projects. For the 10th year, NAR is honoring REALTORS® who give back through the Volunteering Works Grant and Mentoring Program. The program, which connects mentors with REALTORS® who are building new community service projects, is now seeking entries.
“REALTORS® are volunteers in virtually every community around the country—bringing hope and assistance to their neighbors, one person at a time,” says NAR President John Smaby, a second-generation REALTOR® from Edina, Minn., and broker at Edina Realty. “NAR supports those volunteers by offering guidance and mentoring assistance to ensure our members continue admirably and selflessly helping those around them.”
REALTORS® who work on small-scale charitable efforts that have growth potential are encouraged to apply. Five Volunteering Works recipients will benefit from a year of one-on-one mentoring from a member of the Good Neighbor Society, along with a $1,000 grant to help implement improvements in their respective community program. The society comprises past recipients of NAR’s annual Good Neighbor Award, which recognizes outstanding achievement in community service.
Volunteering Works recipients are considered based on their dedication to volunteering and on the potential for their charitable work to be expanded or improved upon with the help of an expert mentor. Ideal candidates have been active in a charitable project, can identify specific challenges they would like to address with the help of a mentor and have specific goals for the future of their project.
2018 Volunteering Works mentoring recipient Carl L. Carter, Jr., founder and executive director of the Beverly Carter Foundation in North Little Rock, Ark., spoke on the importance of the program.
“Having access to Good Neighbors for mentoring, support and inspiration has been life-changing. Volunteering Works has taught me to dream bigger and has filled me with the confidence and conviction to pursue my mission like never before,” Carter says. His mentor, Ron Phipps of Phipps Realty Inc. in Providence, R.I., was a 2000 Good Neighbor for his work with the Tomorrow Fund. “My mentorship with Ron Phipps has stretched my vision and creativity to new places and I’m forever grateful for his wisdom and friendship.”
The deadline for entry is Feb. 28, 2019. For a Volunteering Works entry form, please visit www.nar.realtor/gna and click on “Nominate.” Applicants must be NAR members.
NAR’s Volunteering Works Grant and Mentoring Program is sponsored by Wells Fargo.
