Keller Williams Realty Peachtree Road’s Jennifer Barnes was one of five real estate agents to receive a Good Neighbor Award from the National Association of REALTORS® this year.
Jennifer Barnes. Courtesy of the National Association of REALTORS®.
Barnes was recognized for founding the nonprofit, Solidarity Sandy Springs, in 2020 after it became clear that the COVID-19 pandemic was going to last longer than most people expected. Her group began by providing food to the hungry and quickly expanded to a wide range of services for those in need, including free eye exams and glasses, flu vaccines, job fairs, back-to-school backpacks and more. The group, which has recruited more than 2,600 volunteers since its founding, has distributed almost one million pounds of food to approximately 46,000 shoppers.
NAR’s Good Neighbor awards recognize Realtors who go over and above in their volunteer work. Each winner is selected in a multi-stage, criteria-based judging process and receives a $10,000 grant for their charity. They will also be featured in the fall 2022 issue of REALTOR® Magazine and receive a crystal trophy at NAR NXT, NAR’s annual conference in Orlando, Florida, on Nov. 12.
This year’s other winners include:
- Dennis Curtin of Legacy Investments in Kansas City, Missouri, founder of Mimi’s Pantry.
- Jim Edmonds of Emerald Isle Properties in Kilauea, Hawaii, founder of Permanently Affordable Living Kauai.
- Heather Griesser LaPierre of RE/MAX Preferred Newtown Square in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, founder of Kids Against Hunger Philadelphia.
- MaliVai Washington of Diamond Life Real Estate in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, founder of MaliVai Washington Youth Foundation.
“I am so proud to honor our Good Neighbor Award winners for how they’ve effected change to improve the lives of others in their communities,” NAR President Leslie Rouda Smith said in a news release. “Each of these Realtors has devoted hundreds of hours a year and raised huge sums of money for their respective causes. I salute them for their vision, dedication, passion and selfless generosity.”