Latest news with #GoodNeighborAward
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Real Heroes Breakfast honors community members for their bravery
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. (WIVT/WBGH) – A moving tribute to real life heroism was held in downtown Binghamton Wednesday morning. The Red Cross held its annual Real Heroes Breakfast at the DoubleTree Hotel. 26 individuals were honored for their acts of heroism in a variety of categories. Four teenagers received the Good Neighbor Award for their efforts to save the life of AJ Presto, a Chenango Valley student who suffered a significant injury diving into a pool last June. Three of the four students utilized the Red Cross training they had received as lifeguards. Ally Zaverton says she feels blessed that she was able to use her training. 'It can be life saving. Me, Fin and Gabe are all lifeguards for numerous years. It's always essential. I really think that was a big part of how the outcome turned,' said Zaverton. 'We were all just trying to help out a friend. It's an absolute honor to be recognized for something like that, but in the end, it was all just for our friend,' said Gabe Tallant. 'This is all just people coming together for A.J. Honestly, everyone loves him, he's very loved, we all love him. To say that we started it, no, everyone coming together and supporting A.J., that's all A.J,' said Fin Dollaway. 'It's definitely an amazing feeling. It definitely feels like the community really came together for this event. It really is inspiring looking around seeing all of the people around giving support to each other, support to the causes,' said Joe Paugh. Presto was on hand to watch his friends receive the honor. Awards were also given out in the categories of fire rescue, animal rescue, good Samaritan adult and good Samaritan youth, workplace safety, blood donor, medical, lifeline, law enforcement, education, and military. Real Heroes Breakfast honors community members for their bravery UHS receives $3.9 million grant as it continues pursuit of nursing excellence Community prepares for 15th annual Sacred Sites tour NYS awards $86M to arts and culture nonprofits throughout state Local students awarded with Frank G. Paul Medal of Excellence Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Tennessee REALTORS(R) Honors Cindy Bradley with the 2025 Good Neighbor Award for Outstanding Community Impact
This prestigious honor recognizes REALTORS® who excel in their profession and make a profound difference in their communities through volunteer service. NASHVILLE, TN / / February 13, 2025 / Tennessee REALTORS®, the state chapter of the National Association of REALTORS®, proudly announces Cindy Bradley, broker and owner of Signature Homes Real Estate in Knoxville, as the recipient of its 5th Annual Good Neighbor Award. This prestigious honor recognizes REALTORS® who excel in their profession and make a profound difference in their communities through volunteer service. The award includes a $5,000 grant to support the recipient's preferred philanthropic organization. Bradley was recognized for her tireless work with Sacred Grounds Hospice House, a Knoxville-based nonprofit she founded in 2017. Inspired by her personal experience with hospice care during her husband's illness and passing, she established Sacred Grounds to provide compassionate, expert care for individuals facing life-limiting illnesses and to offer vital support to their families. To date, the organization has assisted over 600 families. Bradley currently serves as President of the Board of Directors. "I'm deeply honored to receive this year's Good Neighbor Award and grateful for the grant, which will directly support Sacred Grounds Hospice House in providing compassionate end-of-life care to those in need," said Bradley. "This recognition is not just for me but for the incredible team and volunteers who make our mission possible. Together, we're ensuring that individuals and their families receive dignity, comfort, and support during life's most difficult moments." Tennessee REALTORS® President Will Sliger praised Bradley's commitment to her community, stating: "Cindy Bradley exemplifies the heart of a REALTOR-dedicated not only to serving clients but also to strengthening communities. Her work with Sacred Grounds Hospice House is a testament to the impact that real estate professionals can have beyond the industry. We are proud to recognize her as this year's Good Neighbor Award recipient and to support her mission of care and compassion." The $5,000 grant from Tennessee REALTORS® will help Sacred Grounds Hospice House expand its services, ensuring more families receive the compassionate care they deserve. For more information about Sacred Grounds Hospice House or to support its mission, visit ### About Tennessee REALTORS® Tennessee REALTORS® serves as the Voice for Real Estate in Tennessee, representing more than 36,000 members across 20 local REALTOR® associations-from Bristol in the east to Memphis in the west, from Clarksville up north to Chattanooga down south, and everywhere in between. From our headquarters in the heart of Music City, we provide a full range of member services and benefits, professional development opportunities, legislative and regulatory advocacy, and timely communications to keep our members informed. Contact Details Tennessee REALTORS® ILISSA GOLDENBERG ILISSA@ Company Website SOURCE: Tennessee REALTORS® View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Chaskans help give thousands clean water
While Wyn Ray works as the vice president for Coldwell Banker Burnet for most of the year, he spends his vacations helping bring clean water to thousands in Ethiopia. Wyn and his wife, Sonja Ray, are primarily working on decreasing disease and death rates in a remote village located in mountainous area called Wekin. Since they started seven years ago, the Rays helped the villagers repair the town's main water well, complete a major latrine and furnish the inside of a school with desks and chairs for the children. For his work in the project, Wyn was awarded the National Association of Realtors' Good Neighbor Award and $10,000 that will go toward helping people in the area. While the Rays have funded many of the projects with their own money, they have also raised over $100,000 online. 'I'm humbled because some of the other winners are very impressive,' he said. 'We are just doing whatever we can do to help these people.' While material items are needed in the region, Sonja said Wyn's work was important because it helped teach people in the village how to write and negotiate contracts. 'We forget to teach people how to do what we do for them,' she said. 'He taught them how to do business and because of that they have been doing more negotiation with their own (governmental) agencies.' That's how the small village, where the average person makes less than $2 a day, was able to obtain desks and chairs for their classrooms. Previous to that, the children had to sit and write on the dirt floor. The two first trusted the villagers when they returned to Wekin after their first visit, Sonja said. In the first visit, Wyn drafted a contract in which the villagers promised to finish building a latrine and in exchange the couple gave them money to pay for the supplies and labor involved in the project. When they returned to the village a second time, the leaders of Wekin showed them exactly how much each material cost. The Rays noticed that the project was cheaper than they had budgeted. 'They could have pocketed the extra money,' Sonja said. But the villagers didn't. Instead they used the extra funds on another project in Wekin and had documented how much it cost them. 'It shows that they are really honest people, they are just really poor,' she added. Hope in pencils The journeys started in 2009 when Sonja wanted to visit a clinic she worked at as a nurse before she fled the the country in the 1970s, when a new government took power. They discovered that the clinic (located near Wekin) had been transformed into a military base over the years. When Sonja spoke to the commander of the base, he tearfully told her that he had been one of the children she had given a pencil to. While children in the region have access to workbooks, many lack writing utensils. Those without pens or pencils can't attend school and have to work on the farms, Wyn said. 'She came back and told me that story and I thought 'Wow one pencil changed his life,'' he added. Now, each time they visit the village, they bring 10,000 pens. They also fill their carry-on luggage with items like scientific microscopes, braille machines and shoes. Wyn estimates they carry about 560 pounds of supplies each trip (they usually have a few friends with them). Future projects With the $10,000 Wyn was given, the couple hopes to build smaller wells in the region – primarily for those who are located in the farmland. Each small hand pump will be able to provide water to about 300 people, which is just how tiny some of the outlying villages are, Wyn said. Simultaneously, the Rays are also working on building a library for the villagers. They plan to ship about 20,000 books they obtained from the Carver County Library's book sale to the village. Currently the village only has 70 books written in English. 'It's to make them self sufficient,' Sonja said. 'The library would also be helping the towns north and south of Wekin.' Additionally, they are working with a non-profit – New Covenant Foundation – to build a clinic in the region and to rebuild a slaughterhouse to reduce diseases. 'It's something we take for granted,' Wyn said. '[The conditions] are like how it would be living in Chaska in the 1800s.' 'Anyone can do something for anybody. Anything is feasible,' he added.
