The National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) and the Good Neighbor Society have announced the recipients of the 12th annual Volunteering Works grants and mentoring program. The program matches REALTORS® who work on newer, small-scale charitable initiatives with mentors and provides funding support to individual volunteer efforts.
The five Volunteering Works recipients will receive a $1,000 seed grant and a year of one-on-one mentoring from a member of the Good Neighbor Society, comprised of past recipients of NAR’s annual Good Neighbor Awards for volunteer service.
“It is truly remarkable that the REALTORS® being recognized today have been able to continue giving so much to their communities despite the disruption we’ve experienced for much of the past year,” said NAR President Vince Malta, broker at Malta & Co., Inc., in San Francisco, Calif. “As a reward for their dedication, these five individuals will receive mentorship, resources and support to ensure their efforts are benefitting as many people as possible.”
Volunteering Works recipients were selected based on the dedication they’ve shown to their communities through volunteer work and the potential for those efforts to be expanded or improved upon with the help of an expert mentor. Mentors are past winners of the Good Neighbor Awards, the highest honor that NAR awards to REALTORS® involved in local community service initiatives.
Stephanie Mitchum, founder of Love & Mercy Ministries, an organization dedicated to assisting homeless inner-city teens, says her Volunteering Works grant has coordinated transportation to local social security offices to help area teens obtain state identification and housing assistance.
“As a single mom, this experience has taught me to keep working harder and has filled me with confidence to fulfill my mission,” says Mitchum, a 2019 Volunteering Works mentoring recipient with Coldwell Banker Wallace & Wallace in Knoxville, Tenn. Mitchum was mentored by 2007 Good Neighbor Award winner Bert Waugh, Jr.
The 2020 Volunteering Works program was made possible thanks to the generous support of Wells Fargo.
“At Wells Fargo, caring for our communities is an intrinsic part of our culture,” said Liz Bryant, executive vice president for Wells Fargo Home Lending. “Today, the needs in communities across the U.S. are greater than ever due to the effects of COVID-19 on the most vulnerable populations. We appreciate how REALTORS® are providing selfless leadership in their local communities, and we join NAR in recognizing all the REALTORS® committed to making a difference through the Volunteering Works program.”
For more information, please visit www.nar.realtor.
