The National Association of REALTORS® has recognized 10 REALTORS® as finalists for their 2014 Good Neighbor Awards. This award honors REALTORS® who help build communities, often supporting causes that enrich and improve neighborhoods and volunteering their time to better the lives and homes of community members.
This year marks the 15th year the Good Neighbor Awards program has recognized REALTOR® volunteers. The REALTORS® being recognized have donated time, money and energy to address the needs of the people and neighborhoods of their communities.
In October, five winners will be selected from among the 10 finalists and will receive travel expenses to the 2014 REALTORS® Conference & Expo in New Orleans, where they will accept their awards at a presentation in front of thousands of their peers. Winners will also receive a $10,000 grant and national media exposure for their community charity. In addition, five honorable mentions will receive a $2,500 grant.
“REALTORS® are integral to successful communities, and these 10 finalists are a perfect example of the impact their passion and goodwill can have on the lives of their friends and neighbors,” says NAR President Steve Brown. “As we celebrate the 15th year of the Good Neighbor Awards, I am proud to witness the enormous impact that Realtors®have in their communities and around the world.”
The 10 Good Neighbor Awards finalists are:
Tricia Carlisle-Northcutt, Beach Properties of Florida, Santa Rosa Beach, Fla. ?Carlisle-Northcutt founded the Children’s Volunteer Health Network, which provides free medical, dental, vision and mental-health care to children in need. She has recruited a network of more than 90 volunteer health providers and, in 2012, she opened a stand-alone dental clinic with full-time staff. Their signature program is a mobile dental clinic, a specially outfitted bus that travels to schools to provide kids with preventive dental care. Since it launched in 2005, CVHN has treated more than 7,000 children and provided 50,000 free procedures that would have cost $3.7 million.
Jill Dover, Sherwood Realty, Grand Rapids, Mich. Dover is president of Senior Sing A-Long, which enriches the lives of seniors in care facilities through free concerts, music therapy and customized playlists. Dover coordinates 150 performances a month to 8,000 seniors in eight counties. She serves 67 long-term care facilities, veterans’ homes and rehab facilities, with an emphasis on serving people with dementia or other cognitive impairments.
Gail Doxie, RE/MAX Realty Group, Fort Myers, Fla. In 2007, Doxie founded the Miles of Smiles Foundation, which offers equine-assisted therapy for veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Doxie, who went back to school to earn a master’s degree in mental health counseling, helps veterans work with the horses to rebuild the trust and confidence that are keys to rebuilding their lives. She recruited volunteers to build a barn and fences on a 20-acre ranch and also lectures on the importance of helping veterans and their families deal with PTSD.
Robert J. Fitzsimmons, Gateway Arms Realty Corp., Staten Island, N.Y. Since 1981, Fitzsimmons has been a devoted volunteer for the Seamen’s Society for Children and Families, which finds foster homes for at least 300 New York City youths every year and supports them through educational programs. Fitzsimmons chairs the organization’s annual calendar fundraiser, which has raised almost $500,000, and has secured hundreds of thousands of dollars in private funding.
Dorothy (Dottie) Gokey, Gokey Real Estate, Clinton, N.Y. Gokey is president of The Business Training Institute, which provides educational and support services to high-risk children and families in Utica, N.Y., including new immigrants and refugees. Gokey launched a series of weekly family workshops to address such subjects as bullying, drop-out prevention and active parenting. She also oversees an after-school program for 550 students speaking 42 languages, established parent resource centers in three high schools, and recruited parent liaisons who persuaded 200 dropouts to return to school last year.
Jane B. Locke, Century 21 Properties Plus LLC, Mt. Pleasant, S.C. Over the last 27 years, Locke has been president and held every other position on the board of Carolina Children’s Charity, an organization that helps families pay for medical costs arising from children’s birth defects. Locke runs the charity’s annual telethon and attends every fundraiser. This year she helped the charity to raise $433,000. CCC has awarded grants totaling $3.7 million to thousands of children, ranging from a few dollars for a medical alert bracelet to the thousands needed annually to cover medication and supplies for uninsured children with type 1 diabetes.