Every year, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) honors a realtor who is making a difference in their community through volunteer work.
This year, Brookhaven’s Jennifer Barnes has been selected as a finalist for NAR’s 2022 Good Neighbor Awards program.
“Jennifer has gone above and beyond to help build stronger communities and improve the lives of people across this country,” said NAR president Leslie Rouda Smith.
Inspiring community solidarity
In 2020, Barnes thought she would feed people for just a few weeks until the COVID-19-induced shutdowns ended.
That experience opened her eyes to an underlying vulnerability in her affluent Atlanta-area neighborhood that extended well beyond food.
Barnes then founded the nonprofit, Solidarity Sandy Springs. The non-profit works to inspire more than 2,600 volunteers who provide a wide-range of community services for thousands of families.
These services include free eye exams and glasses, flu vaccines, job fairs, back-to-school backpacks, and more.
Barnes has also distributed nearly one million pounds of food to about 46,000 shoppers.
“Her determination and selfless commitment embody everything that we strive for as realtors and as compassionate members of our community. I’m proud of Jennifer and the rest of this year’s Good Neighbor Award finalists for devoting hundreds of hours of their personal time to these important causes,” said Smith.
Award details
Through the award, five winners will receive a $10,000 grant. Along with the grant funds, winners will also receive media exposure for their charity and a feature in REALTOR Magazine.
The winners will also be honored in November during NAR NXT, The REALTOR Experience, in Orlando, Fla.
Five honorable mentions will also receive $2,500 grants. Nominees will be judged on their personal contribution of time as well as financial and material contributions to benefit their cause.
NAR’s Good Neighbor Awards is supported by primary sponsor Realtor.com as well as the Center for REALTOR Development.
“The Good Neighbor Award finalists are a remarkable group of individuals,” said Realtor.com CMO Mickey Neuberger. “Their work shows that volunteers are truly improving our communities and making them a better place, and Realtor.com is so pleased to be able to recognize them for their efforts.”
Vote now for the Web Choice Favorites
Beginning today, the public can vote for their favorite of the 10 Good Neighbor finalists. The top three vote-getters will be recognized as Web Choice Favorites, with the winner taking home $2,500, and the second and third place finishers each receiving $1,250, funded by Realtor.com.
Cast your vote here between Sept. 1 and Oct. 3.
Both the winners, as determined by judges, and the Web Choice Favorites will be announced on Oct.6.