For Immediate Release:
June 21, 2006

NJAR^® Educational Foundation Awards $44,750 in Scholarships

(Edison, NJ) The New Jersey Association of REALTORS® Educational Foundation (NJAREF) presented scholarships to 31 high school and college students this afternoon at the Westwood in Garwood, NJ. The awards, totaling $44,750, were given to students pursuing a college or university degree.

After receiving 161 applications, the NJAREF trustees interviewed 40 candidates to determine this year's recipients. The Foundation has awarded $495,350 in scholarships since its inception in 1969.

"This year, the Foundation was able to award more scholarships than ever before. On behalf of the trustees, I would like to thank all of the award sponsors for getting involved with the Foundation and supporting higher education," said NJAREF President Tina Caggiano. "I would also like to congratulate this year's scholarship recipients. They demonstrated excellence in academics, community service, athletics and other areas. We wish them the best of luck in their college endeavors."

A non-profit organization, the NJAR^® Educational Foundation was established to foster knowledge and education, and conduct research to assist in the education of students. The Foundation provides scholarships to members of the New Jersey Association of REALTORS^® (NJAR^®) or relatives of NJAR^® members living in the state of New Jersey. The scholarships are awarded to high school seniors who will be attending an undergraduate institution, students currently enrolled in undergraduate institutions and students pursuing graduate studies. The scholarship program is supported by NJAR^® members and by the local boards/associations of REALTORS^®.

The 2006 NJAR^® Educational Foundation scholarship recipients are as follows:

Monmouth County Association of REALTORS® Award in Memory of Richard Hendrickson - $2,500
Benjamin Scatuorchio of Point Pleasant, attending Stevens Institute of Technology

Burlington Camden County Association of REALTORS® Nutter/Schwartz Award - $2,000
Rachel Marine* of Forked River, attending Salisbury University

Nancy Reynolds Memorial Awards - $2,000 each
Yusang Lee of Ridgefield, attending Cornell University
Jacqueline Abdalla of Monmouth Junction, attending University of Pennsylvania

Atlantic City & County Board of REALTORS® Award - $1,500
Amanda Houlis* of Pompton Lakes, attending Gettysburg College

Cape May County Association of REALTORS®, Inc. Award in Memory of Ruth McCormick - $1,500
Jaryd Tomlinson of Villas, attending Monmouth University

Eastern Bergen County Board of REALTORS® Award - $1,500
Kent Michels* of Harrington Park, attending Cornell University

Hunterdon/Somerset Association of REALTORS® Award in Honor of Claudia Pascale - $1,500
Christopher Taylor of Union, attending University of Delaware

Hunterdon/Somerset Association of REALTORS® Award in Honor of Frank Freehauf - $1,500
Jacob Nielson of Tenafly, attending Syracuse University

Jay P. Okun Foundation, Inc. Award - $1,500
Alana Ponder* of North Brunswick, attending Northwestern University

Mercer County Association of REALTORS® Award in Memory of Jerry Lancaster - $1,500
Stephanie Psyllos of Columbus, attending Fordham University

New Jersey Association of REALTORS® Educational Foundation Awards - $1,500 each
Brandon O'Keefe of Rutherford, attending Seton Hall University
Gia O'Keefe of Rutherford, attending University of Delaware

North Central Jersey Association of REALTORS® Dean A. Gallo Memorial Award - $1,500
Douglas Allan of Short Hills, attending Bentley College

Ocean County Board of REALTORS® Award in Memory of Gertrude Stefanik - $1,500
Elizabeth Allen of Forked River, attending Wake Forest University

RealSource Association of REALTORS® Award in Memory of Anita Binstein - $1,500
Patrick O'Keefe* of Rutherford, attending St. Joseph's University

Stefanik Foundation Award in Memory of Gertrude Stefanik - $1,500
Patricia Alvarez of Elizabeth, attending Rutgers University

New Jersey Association of REALTORS® Educational Foundation General Awards - $1,250 each
Susan Eckrote* of Wayne, attending Ramapo College of New Jersey
Thomas Hill of Robbinsville, attending Tufts University
Irene Hsieh of Kearny, attending New York University
Natan Kahane of Northfield, attending Boston University
Robert McLaughlin of Galloway, attending The College of New Jersey
Cheryl Starr* of Parsippany, attending Caldwell College
Jincy Varughese of Old Bridge, attending University of Sciences in Philadelphia
Emma Wehrlen of Brick, attending University of Utah

New Jersey Chapter Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) Award - $1,250
Jaclyn Bavaro of Brick, attending Virginia Tech

New Jersey MLS Awards - $1,250 each
Sujal Singh of Hamilton Square, attending Johns Hopkins University
Jonathan Treble of Dumont, attending University of Pennsylvania

Citta Foundation Award in Memory of Gertrude Stefanik - $1,000
Paul Egbert of Forked River, attending College Misericordia

Greater Union County Association of REALTORS® Award - $1,000
Kaitlyn Tucker of Watchung, attending Bates College

West Essex Board of REALTORS® Award - $1,000
Anthony Luzzi of Nutley, attending Penn State

*previous NJAREF scholarship recipient

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The New Jersey Association of REALTORS^® is a non-profit organization serving the professional needs of approximately 55,000 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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E-mail: dalpert@njar.com