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CHICAGO (July 28, 2021) – The National Association of Realtors® and the Good Neighbor Society have announced the recipients of the 13th annual Volunteering Works grants and mentoring program. The program awards funding to Realtors® who work on small-scale charitable efforts while matching them with mentors in their field.
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. This group is made up of past recipients of NAR's annual Good Neighbor Awards, the highest honor the association awards Realtors® involved in community service.
"Amid the changes and challenges that have been introduced into all our lives over the past year, these amazing recipients have continued to step forward in ways that leave a lasting, positive mark on our world," said NAR President Charlie Oppler, a Realtor® from Franklin Lakes, N.J., and the CEO of Prominent Properties Sotheby's International Realty. "I am so proud to support these volunteers and their important work, which illustrates the commitment Realtors® make to their neighbors and neighborhoods."
Volunteering Works recipients were selected based on their devotion to their communities through volunteer endeavors and the potential for their good works to be expanded or improved upon with the help of an expert mentor.
Janice Overbeck, a 2020 Volunteering Works mentoring recipient with Keller Williams in Marietta, Georgia, founded JO Gives, Inc., a nonprofit organization focused on animal activism.
"The Volunteering Works grant helped us reach our goal of ensuring thousands of dogs and cats across Mexico and Nicaragua were spayed and neutered," said Overbeck. "My mentor, 2018 Good Neighbor Joy Nelson, inspired me to create a video to explain our mission."
The 2021 Volunteering Works program was made possible thanks to the generous support of Wells Fargo Home Lending.
"As a company that is both national and local – with mortgage consultants living and working in the communities we serve – we see the importance of having individuals who are willing to step up and make a difference," said Sue Barber, SVP and interim national sales manager for Wells Fargo Home Lending. "We appreciate all of the Realtors® who generously share their time and talents, and we are proud to join NAR in recognizing Realtors® who are lifting communities through the Volunteering Works program."
2021 Volunteering Works Grant and Mentoring Recipients
Eduardo Aguire, Corcoran Global Living, San Francisco, California
Seven years ago, Eduardo Aguire co-founded Designing a Difference (DaD), a nonprofit organization that provides job opportunities to people who struggle in traditional employment and professional settings. Aguire will receive guidance from 2020 Good Neighbor Linda Brown of Amax Real Estate in Springfield, Mo., who will bring new ideas for growth and help implement a strategic plan for DaD.
Ryan Gable, StartingPoint Realty, Schaumburg, Illinois
Ryan Gable founded Bikes & Music Inc., a nonprofit organization that provides bicycles and musical instruments to local children in need. Gable will receive guidance from 2020 Good Neighbor Eric Baucom of Coastlands Real Estate Group in Ventura, Calif., who will develop a strategic plan for the nonprofit and help conceptualize and execute various fundraisers for Gable's group to host.
Kathleen (Kadi) Tubbs, Randall J. Hendricks, Seminole, Florida
What started as her daughter's school project in 2015 – sending care packages to men and women stationed overseas – grew into the nonprofit organization Operation: Military Matters. Today, the group has sent over 1,200 care packages to American troops across the globe. Tubbs will receive guidance from 2010 Good Neighbor Wendy Rocca of Keller Williams Realty Boston in Lexington, Massachusetts, who will help Tubbs reduce shipping costs and increase the number of care packages she can distribute each year.
Jane Page Thompson, Carolina Real Estate Company, Aiken, South Carolina
In 2018, Jane Page Thompson co-founded Blessing Boxes of Aiken, a county-wide project that builds, stocks and supports food boxes where people donate items for local community members in need. She will receive guidance from 2017 Good Neighbor Debbie Berg of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices in Birmingham, Michigan, who will help increase awareness of the project and develop a mapping and volunteer database.
Gloria Vinson, Landco Properties, Inc., Jacksonville, Florida
In 2017, Gloria Vinson founded The Vinson Foundation Inc., a nonprofit organization that supports families who lost a loved one to suicide, helping fund professional counseling and funeral services. She will receive guidance from 2020 Good Neighbor Gail Doxie of RE/MAX Realty in Ft. Myers, Florida, who will help Vinson find methods to build support and raise money for mental health treatment in her community.
To learn more about Volunteering Works or the Good Neighbor Awards, visit www.nar.realtor/gna.
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Wells Fargo Home Lending is one of the nation's leading originators and the leading servicer of residential mortgages, offering home loans to consumers through our network of mortgage locations and bank branches, online, and via phone. With almost 4,000 Home Mortgage Consultants across the country, expanded digital capabilities, and products and programs for today's market, Wells Fargo is committed to meeting Realtor® expectations and homebuyer needs. Focused on paving a path to stability and financial success for underserved communities, Wells Fargo is a proud sponsor of Volunteering Works, which recognizes the extraordinary contributions made by Realtors® in the communities where we, together, live and serve.
The National Association of Realtors® is America's largest trade association, representing more than 1.4 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.
