National Association of REALTORS® Names 2026 Good Neighbor Awards Finalists

Ten REALTORS® are spotlighted for volunteer work that has transformed their communities.

Chicago, Sept. 29, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The National Association of REALTORS^® announced the 10 finalists for its 2026 Good Neighbor Awards today. These awards honor NAR members who make an extraordinary difference in their communities by contributing their time, money, goodwill and expertise to help others. Now in its 27th year, the Good Neighbor Awards have recognized 270 REALTORS^® whose work has made an impact across 46 states, Puerto Rico and 18 countries.

“Each of this year’s Good Neighbor Awards finalists represents the power of service to transform lives and communities,” said NAR President Kevin Brown. “Their efforts have created new opportunities, inspired hope and strengthened the places people call home. We are proud to celebrate their achievements and recognize the meaningful impact they make every day.”

Five winners, as determined by judges, will each receive a $10,000 grant and national media exposure for their charity. Five honorable mentions will receive $2,500 grants. The public can vote for their favorite finalist as a Web Choice Favorite between Sept. 29 and Oct. 24 by visiting realtor.com/goodneighbor. The top vote-getter will take home an additional $2,500 for their charity, and the two runners-up will each receive an additional $1,250. Both the winners and the Web Choice Favorites will be announced on Oct. 27.

Finalists were selected for their personal contributions of time as well as financial and material resources to benefit their causes. NAR’s Good Neighbor Awards are supported by primary sponsor Realtor.com.

“This year’s 10 Good Neighbor Award finalists truly embody the spirit of service by going above and beyond to strengthen their communities, and we are proud to showcase the remarkable impact they have made,” said Anna Marie Castiglioni, Head of Realtor.com Next. “We encourage everyone to join us in celebrating these local heroes by casting their vote for the Web Choice Favorite, which allows us to further amplify the powerful work they are doing to change lives.”

The 10 NAR Good Neighbor Awards finalists are as follows:

Dylan de Bruin (Ankeny, IA)
Children’s HopeChest: Orphans of Teso
Dylan de Bruin and his wife, Jen, founded Orphans of Teso in 2011 to serve children in war-torn northern Uganda. Partnering with the nonprofit Children's HopeChest, they built three facilities in Bukedea, Ogoloi and Ongongoja that provide food, medical care, education and job training to hundreds of children. Roughly 90% of the students go on to university or earn a trade certificate, compared with 20% of their peers outside the program. His work has raised more than $2.4 million and generated over 4,500 volunteer hours from others.

Shawnee Doherty (Phoenix, AZ)
Hope Through Hollis Foundation
After her 7-year-old son, Hollis, died of diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, an aggressive pediatric brain cancer, Shawnee Doherty and her husband founded Hope Through Hollis in his memory. She has since brought together a network of DIPG families and foundations that has raised nearly $2 million over the past decade for research at the Translational Genomics Research Institute in Phoenix, where researchers cared for Hollis. She also reaches out personally to families facing a new diagnosis and amplifies awareness through advocacy, outreach and public education.

Sue Farrell (Richmond, VA)
Boots to Suits
After her husband, Joe, a former Navy submarine officer, died, Sue Farrell looked at his wardrobe of corporate suits and decided they deserved a second life. She founded Boots to Suits in 2014 to give veterans professional clothes for job interviews and post-military careers. At her Richmond shop, a stylist helps each client assemble at least two complete outfits, down to shoes, belts and ties, and volunteer tailors make alterations, including adjusting pant legs so they fall correctly over prosthetic limbs. The program has dressed 7,000 veterans across Florida, Maryland, North Carolina and Virginia.

Weston Jenkins (Fair Oaks Ranch, TX)
Disabled Outdoorsmen USA
Weston Jenkins' cousin TJ, who had Duchenne muscular dystrophy, outlived his life expectancy by nearly 20 years and credited the outdoors for it. After hunting and fishing alongside him, Jenkins founded Disabled Outdoorsmen USA in 2017 to give people with disabilities the equipment, logistics and funding to get outside, whether that means hunting, fishing, camping or Jeeping. He has since secured access to 28 private ranches across Texas, expanded the nonprofit to Utah, Minnesota, South Carolina and Alabama, and raised more than $2.5 million to send nearly 290 people on more than 190 trips.

Jay Miralles (Elkhorn, NE)
50 Mile March Foundation
After leaving the Air Force in 1998, Jay Miralles lost the sense of purpose that had defined his service and spent nearly a year homeless. He walked to cope. To mark his 50th birthday in 2020, six friends joined him for a 50-mile walk in 22 hours from Lincoln to Omaha, raising $25,000 for veteran causes. The 50 Mile March Foundation has since grown to 175 participants from 18 states and funded more than $600,000 in grants to veteran nonprofits. It also purchased seven acres in Bellevue, Nebraska, for the Community of Hope, a planned campus with transitional tiny homes, mental health and addiction recovery services and employment help for veterans.

Eustace Payne Jr. (Plymouth, MA)
Massachusetts Community Outreach Initiative
Eustace Payne Jr. spent 20 years as a probation officer in the Massachusetts prison system, where he met men who felt permanently judged for their worst moments. He founded the Massachusetts Community Outreach Initiative in 2009 to help them transition back into their communities, reconnect with family and find jobs. He has supported more than 300 men and their families through mentorship centered on responsibility, fatherhood, faith and reentry. Several have launched their own businesses and one earned a doctorate in ministerial studies. Many are now active fathers, husbands and leaders in their own neighborhoods.

Teresa Renkenberger (Brandon, MS)
Shower Power
Teresa Renkenberger founded Shower Power, a weekly mobile hygiene program that has expanded into comprehensive support for people experiencing homelessness. Since 2019, her mobile truck, equipped with two full shower units, has served roughly 160 people every Friday in downtown Jackson. The program also provides hygiene kits, haircuts, clothing, food and pop-up medical clinics. Her leadership has helped thousands access essential services, reunite with family and restore dignity.

Cord Shiflet (Austin, TX)
Cordonate
Cord Shiflet created Cordonate, a rapid-response charitable model that ensures donations reach people in need immediately, without delays or administrative barriers. When catastrophic floods hit the Texas Hill Country in 2025, he turned to his 10,000-strong Facebook network and raised $500,000, then mobilized volunteers to clear debris at a camp for children with disabilities. Cordonate also funds Santa’s Cause, an annual Christmas party where foster children get gifts from their wish list.

Debbie Sonenshine (Sandy Springs, GA)
Backpack Buddies of Metro Atlanta
Debbie Sonenshine’s passion is alleviating childhood hunger. She leads Backpack Buddies, a collaborative program that provides meals to 3,000 food-insecure children who otherwise might not eat on the weekend. By centralizing food purchasing, storage, fundraising and volunteer coordination, the organization feeds more children for every dollar raised. Partnering with churches, synagogues, civic organizations and real estate foundations, the meals reach kids in 50 schools.

Natasha Williams (Bohemia, NY)
Impactful Lives
Natasha Williams founded Impactful Lives to provide unhoused mothers and their children with immediate support and long-term pathways toward housing and financial independence. She delivers groceries, hygiene products, toys and emergency clothing while leading year-round financial literacy workshops on budgeting, credit and the path to permanent housing. Her annual Mother’s Day brunches turn shelter common rooms into celebrations for 20 to 30 mothers at a time, and her workshops open doors to job training and education.

About the National Association of REALTORS^®
The National Association of REALTORS^® is involved in all aspects of residential and commercial real estate. The term REALTOR^® is a registered collective membership mark that identifies a real estate professional who is a member of the National Association of REALTORS^® and subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics. For free consumer guides about navigating the homebuying and selling transaction processes—from written buyer agreements to negotiating compensation—visit facts.realtor.

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