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For Immediate Release: NJAR Presents Second Annual Good Neighbor Awards(Atlantic City, NJ) The New Jersey Association of REALTORS® (NJAR®) presented its second annual Good Neighbor Awards during the Triple Play Convention and Trade Expo today. The Good Neighbor Awards recognize those REALTORS® who have made extraordinary commitments to improving the quality of life in their communities through volunteer community service. Each winner will receive a donation in his/her name to the organization he/she serves. The 2004 awards are sponsored by One Source Mortgage, Pulte Homes and Wells Fargo. The first place winner of the 2004 NJAR® Good Neighbor Award is Susan Schneider-Baker (Weichert REALTORS®, Kendall Park, N.J.). Schneider-Baker is the coordinator of the United Presbyterian Church of Jamesburg's Deacons Food Cupboard. She spends approximately 36 hours a month organizing donations, coordinating delivery and getting to know the families she is helping. Each month the Food Cupboard distributes nonperishable food, fresh bread and coupons for milk, eggs, margarine and meat. In 2003, they provided food for 430 families. As the first place winner, Schneider-Baker will receive a $2,500 donation to the Deacons Food Cupboard. Second place winner Shirley Cunningham (Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, East Brunswick, N.J.) will receive a $1,500 donation to Meals on Wheel of Greater New Brunswick. Cunningham became a volunteer for the Meals on Wheels program in 1983. Using her own transportation, she volunteers several hours each week driving meals to elderly, disabled or homebound people in her area. In addition to her work with Meals on Wheels, Cunningham volunteers with the Rotary Club's Giver of Life Program , collects funds for the Salvation Army as a bell-ringer and distributes food and clothing to the needy through her church's Outreach Program. Hannelore von Aulock (Weichert REALTORS®, Bedminster, N.J.) was selected as the third place winner. Her charity, the Foodbank Network, will receive a $1,000 donation in her name. Von Aulock spends 300 hours a year in volunteer work. Each year she organizes a food drive at grocery stores in Hunterdon and Somerset counties, enlisting her fellow REALTORS® to collect, package and deliver food. In 2003 the food drive delivered 13,000 pounds to area food banks, and in 2004 the total was 14,500 pounds. This will provide food for approximately 6,300 families. Von Aulock also raises funds for SHIPS, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, Women's Crisis Center and many others. Two special recognition awards of $500 each were presented to Gail MacNeil (Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, Madison, N.J.) and Cynthia Guariglia (Weichert REALTORS®, Holmdel, N.J.). MacNeil, an ovarian cancer survivor, formed the Kaleidescope of Hope Foundation in 2000 with two other cancer survivors. The Foundation raises funds for ovarian cancer research and raises awareness of the disease. MacNeil leads the annual walkathon, bringing in over $200,000 in sponsorships each year. Guariglia volunteers for the American Cancer Society in many capacities. She is the chairperson for the Relay for Life event at Freehold, chairperson of the Eastern Division Relay for Life Task Force, and a member of the National Advisory Committee. As the chairperson for Relay for Life, Guariglia was responsible for raising $1 million in the past four years. The event draws 1,500-2,000 people each year. Profiles of the winners will be featured in the January/February issue of New Jersey REALTOR® magazine and on www.njar.com. "The Good Neighbor Awards give NJAR® the opportunity to honor some of the many REALTORS® who give their time and effort to improving the people's lives and their communities," said 2004 NJAR® President Charles Oppler. "REALTORS® spend thousands of hours each year supporting various organizations and causes across New Jersey. Thanks to our sponsors, One Source Mortgage, Pulte Homes and Wells Fargo we are able to honor the commitment of the Good Neighbor winners with a donation to each of their organizations." The New Jersey Association of REALTORS® is a non-profit organization serving the professional needs of approximately 47,000 REALTOR® and REALTOR-ASSOCIATE® members in the state. REALTOR® is a registered collective membership mark which may be used only by real estate professionals who subscribe to the REALTOR® organization's strict Code of Ethics and are members of the National, State and Local REALTOR® organizations. # # #
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