The National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) recently announced its five 2020 Good Neighbor Awards winners. For 21 consecutive years, NAR has honored REALTORS® who make an extraordinary impact on the world through volunteering. The efforts of this year’s Good Neighbor Awards recipients are even more remarkable given the challenges that COVID-19 brought to their respective humanitarian efforts, including cancelled fundraisers, obstacles to in-person volunteering and increased need.
The 2020 Good Neighbor Awards winners are:
– Linda K. Brown, Amax Real Estate; Springfield, Mo.
– Jeff Fields, Russ Lyon Sotheby’s International Realty; Scottsdale, Ariz.
– Tamara House, RE/MAX Centerstone; Lafayette, Ind.
– Vickie Lobo, Einstein Realty; Fontana, Calif.
– Greg Masucci, Coldwell Banker Residential, Washington, D.C. & Atoka Properties; Purcellville, Va.
“Our Good Neighbor Awards winners leave a remarkable impact on their communities every year, but everything these REALTORS® have done in 2020 is even more impressive and commendable,” said NAR President Vince Malta, broker at Malta & Co., Inc., in San Francisco, Calif. “This year has brought unprecedented challenges, but the 2020 Good Neighbor Awards winners have been a force for good during the most difficult and unique times, and they continue to inspire all of us by showing how one person can make a difference in the world.”
Each of the five winners—selected by a multi-stage, criteria-based judging process—will receive a $10,000 grant for their charity and be featured in the November-December issue of Realtor® Magazine. In lieu of the traditional ceremony held every year at the REALTORS® Conference and Expo, each winner will also be honored by their local REALTOR® associations over the coming months.
Linda K. Brown
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
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
Tamara House
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 for children with disabilities. magazine.realtor/TamaraHouse
Vickie Lobo
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 a new life. magazine.realtor/VickieLobo
Greg Masucci
Greg Masucci and his wife founded A Farm Less Ordinary, a non-profit 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
In addition to the winners, five REALTORS® have been recognized as Good Neighbor Awards honorable mentions and will each receive $2,500 grants:
Sandra Nardoci, Berkshire Hathaway Blake; Albany, N.Y., co-founder and lead volunteer for the Capital District YMCA’s Circle of Champs, which hosts free camp and activities for children with life-threatening medical conditions. magazine.realtor/SandraNardoci
Eric and Janet Baucom, Coastlands Real Estate Group; Ventura, Calif., co-founders of Project Bicycle Love, which gifts bikes and helmets to foster children. magazine.realtor/EricJanetBaucom
Debra Griggs, RE/MAX Central; Norfolk, Va., founder, Animal Resources of Tidewater, which advocates for animal rights and keeps pets out of shelters. magazine.realtor/DebraGriggs
Janice Ash Sialiano, Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Advantage Surfside; Surfside Beach, S.C., founder of Community Christmas Dinner, which serves 12,000 people in need every year. magazine.realtor/JaniceAshSialiano
Linda Wolf, KW Metro Center; Alexandria, Va. founder, Mission: M4, which funds $50,000 movie players for MRI machines at military hospitals to help ease kids’ anxiety during difficult procedures. magazine.realtor/LindaTrinkleWolf
Public voting also allows individuals to select their favorite Good Neighbor Awards finalist, with the winners crowned as this year’s “Web Choice Favorites,” which is sponsored and funded by realtor.com®. This year, the voting set an all-time record of 225,383 votes (60,000 votes higher than the previous high). This year’s winners are:
– Eric and Janet Baucom, who will receive an additional $2,500 for Project Bicycle Love
– Sandra Nardoci, who will receive an additional $1,250 bonus donation for Capital District YMCA’s Circle of Champs
– Janice Ash Sialiano, who will receive an additional $1,250 for Community Christmas Dinner
The National Association of REALTORS’® Good Neighbor Awards program is supported by primary sponsor realtor.com® and Wells Fargo Home Mortgage.
Nominees were judged on their personal investment of time, as well as their financial and material contributions to benefit their cause.
“Congratulations to all of the Good Neighbor Awards recipients, on behalf of everyone at realtor.com®,” said realtor.com® CMO Mickey Neuberger. “In an extraordinary year, these REALTORS® inspire us to care about others and contribute to making our communities a better place.”
Good Neighbor Awards have been granted annually since 2000. Nearly $1.4 million in grants have been awarded to more than 200 REALTOR®-led charities. More information about the program is available at nar.realtor/gna.
For more information, please visit www.nar.realtor.
