Donna Ting of Tri Isle Realty & Development Co. in Wailuku is one of 10 realtors from across the country to be a finalist in REALTOR® Magazine’s 2017 Good Neighbor Awards.

Donna Ting co-founded La‘akea, a residential and day program for developmentally disabled adults, the first of its kind to open on Maui since 1985. On Oct. 3, five winners will be named from among the 10 finalists. Winners will receive a $10,000 grant and national media exposure for their community charity. PC: National Association of Realtors

The National Association of Realtors® says it honors realtors from around the US who make an extraordinary impact on their community through volunteer work.

Ting co-founded La‘akea, a residential and day program for developmentally disabled adults, the first of its kind to open on Maui since 1985. The facility includes a community center, a farm and a country store to provide life skills training and activities to help clients lead more independent and meaningful lives.

This year marks the 18th year the Good Neighbor Awards program has recognized Realtor® volunteers. The 2017 finalists have cumulatively raised more than $48 million to make lives better for people in their communities.

“The Good Neighbor Award represents a thriving culture of giving back, and each of our finalists have made a tremendous difference in their communities,” said NAR President William E. Brown, broker-owner of Investment Real Estate in Oakland, CA and founder of Investment Properties. “We congratulate this year’s 10 finalists for their outstanding efforts to help make the world a better place.”

On Oct. 3, five winners will be named from among the 10 finalists. Winners will receive a $10,000 grant and national media exposure for their community charity, including a feature in the November/December issue of REALTOR® Magazine. The winners will also receive travel expenses to the 2017 REALTORS® Conference & Expo in Chicago, where they will accept their awards at a presentation in front of their peers. In addition, five honorable mentions will receive a $2,500 grant.

The public can also vote for their favorite of the 10 Good Neighbor finalists. The three finalists who get the most votes will be Web Choice winners and will take home additional donations of $2,500, $1,250 and $1,250 respectively. Cast votes here between September 5 and October 2.

The 10 REALTOR® Magazine Good Neighbor Awards finalists are:

Donna Ting, Tri Isle Realty & Development Co., Wailuku HI for La‘akea

Deborah Berg, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, Birmingham, MI for United Methodist Women’s Rummage Sale – Berg runs one of the country’s largest rummage sales, which raises $225,000 per year to support people in need through 35 local, national and international nonprofits. She manages a force of more than 700 volunteers during the twice-annual, week-long sales.

JoAnn and Joseph Callaway, Those Callaways Real Estate, Scottsdale, AZ for Salvation Army – The Callaways mobilized thousands of local real estate professionals to serve as volunteer bell ringers, who collected more than $250,000 in red kettle donations for the Salvation Army. The Callaways also founded an innovative program that has raised $1 million to support addiction recovery.

Sal Dimiceli, Sr., Lake Geneva Area Realty, Lake Geneva, WI for The Time Is Now To Help –
Dimiceli founded a nonprofit to ease the suffering of people living in poverty. He personally responds to requests for help by providing financial counseling and addressing individual needs, whether it’s providing emergency food assistance, transportation or child care so a person can hold a job, or paying overdue rent to prevent eviction. In 28 years, he has donated and raised nearly $17 million.

Lara Dolan, Keller Williams Realty Consultants, Roswell, GA for Cystic Fibrosis Foundation –
Dolan is the driving force behind ShamRockin’ for a Cure, an annual event that has raised more than $2.5 million to help patients with cystic fibrosis. She uses her vast network of community connections to increase attendance and sponsorships to help CF patients get closer to a cure.

Bryson Garbett, Garbett Homes, Salt Lake City, UT for Foundation Escalera – Garbett founded a nonprofit that provides access to education to children in the rural Chiapas region of Mexico. In 18 years, his organization—which has built 177 classrooms and provides high school scholarships—has helped nearly 100,000 students.

Howard W. “Hoddy” Hanna, III Howard Hanna Real Estate Services, Pittsburgh for Howard Hanna Children’s Free Care Fund – Hanna leads a nonprofit that donates millions to children’s hospitals to fund treatment for children without insurance or whose treatment isn’t covered by insurance. Since 1987, Hanna and his company’s 9,000 real estate professionals in eight states have raised and donated more than $14 million.

Louise McLean, RE/MAX Solutions, Merritt Island, Florida for Space Coast Association of REALTORS® Charitable Foundation – McLean founded a nonprofit to support the more than 2,200 homeless children in Florida’s Brevard County with necessities such as food, clothing, school supplies, glasses and toiletries. They also provide nonessentials like sports equipment, band instruments and even college scholarships, allowing children to further their education.

Mony Nop, Mony Nop Real Estate, Livermore, CA for Mony Nop Foundation – Nop created a nonprofit to encourage kids to set goals and achieve them by providing leadership training and scholarships. He uses his own experience as a child who fled the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia during the 1970s to motivate thousands of middle school and high school students to overcome their own challenges.

Kay Wilson-Bolton, Century 21 Troop Real Estate, Santa Paula, CA for SPIRIT of Santa Paula – Wilson-Bolton founded Many Meals, which feeds up to 600 people a hot meal every Wednesday. She also distributes 30,000 pounds of food per month through a food bank, and, as an ordained chaplain, runs a reception center behind her real estate office where she counsels people in need.

Nominees were judged on their personal contribution of time as well as financial and material contributions to benefit their cause.