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For Immediate Release: REALTORS® RECOGNIZED FOR COMMUNITY SERVICEThe New Jersey Association of REALTORS® (NJAR®) presents Good Neighbor AwardsAtlantic City, N.J. - The New Jersey Association of REALTORS® (NJAR®) presented three REALTORS® with NJAR® Good Neighbor Awards during the Triple Play REALTOR® Convention and Trade Expo in Atlantic City today. The awards recognize individuals who have made extraordinary commitments to community service programs throughout the state. "The NJAR® Good Neighbor award is a great way to honor REALTORS® who have dedicated a lot of time and energy throughout the year to assist programs that help better our neighborhoods," said NJAR® President Bonnie Fitzgerald. "Thanks to our sponsors, we have been able to provide three wonderful charities with generous donations." Sponsored by Countrywide Home Loans, Jersey Mortgage Company and One Source Mortgage, the awards provide each winner with a donation to the charity organization of his/her choice in the amount of: $2,500 for first place; $1,500 for second place; and $1,000 for third place. The winners are as follows: FIRST PLACE MaryAnne Belvedere, East Bergen County
Board of REALTORS® A sales associate at Classic Realty Group in Fort Lee, Belvedere has been an active member of the Center for Food Action (CFA) in Bergen County since 1998. Her efforts over the years have helped support more than 37,000 families in northern New Jersey. Over the past year alone, Belvedere has spent approximately 468 hours in the pantry organizing and distributing food. In the past eight years, her work has raised approximately $300,000 and has enabled the Center to open two additional food pantries in 2005. Her service has resulted in providing approximately 25,000 people with emergency packages; over 9,000 Thanksgiving packages; over 1,500 packages of Christmas and Hanukkah food; and a total of 903 families have received housing and utility assistance. SECOND PLACE David P. Barthold, RealSource
Association of REALTORS® A Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage sales associate in Ridgewood, Barthold has been a volunteer for many organizations. In addition to more than 30 years as a volunteer firefighter and six years as a volunteer ambulance corps member, he has spent countless hours helping victims of Hurricane Katrina. Upon hearing about the disaster, Barthold gathered and delivered a truckload of necessities to the Teaneck Armory and the Bergen County sheriff's officers who were sent to Louisiana. He then rented a storage container and reached out to his community to donate items such as medical supplies, food, clothing and household cleaners. As a result, Barthold personally delivered five vans of approximately 55,000 pounds and $33,000 worth of materials to Mississippi. Because of his immediate response, three truckloads were delivered to victims before assistance from the American Red Cross, Salvation Army, or FEMA arrived. THIRD PLACE Lois Fein, Eastern Bergen County Board
of REALTORS® A sales associate at Friedberg Properties and Associates in Englewood Cliffs, Fein helped found the Affordable Housing of Metropolitan Edgewater (AHOME), a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to provide affordable housing in Edgewater to qualified families. As president of AHOME, she has spent over 300 hours in the past year to help advance the organization. As a result, Fein raised approximately $250,000 from the Bergen County Department of Community Affairs and purchased two buildings in Edgewater that contain 18 rental apartments. With the help of Habitat for Humanity of Bergen County, AHOME is currently rehabilitating the apartments, and will be ready to sell its first two-bedroom affordable condominium by the end of the year. Because of Fein's efforts, 18 families (an estimated 70 people) will have the opportunity of homeownership in Edgewater. Profiles of the winners will be featured on www.njar.com. For more information and/or photos, please contact Danielle Wyckoff at (732) 494-4730 or dwyckoff@njar.com. The New Jersey Association of REALTORS® is a non-profit organization serving the professional needs of approximately 57,000 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. For more information, please visit www.njar.com. ###
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