Kilauea as 2022 Good Neighbor Award Finalists

The National Association of Realtors selected Jim Edmonds, a Realtor from Kīlauea, among 10 finalists for its 2022 Good Neighbor Awards program.

The award honors Realtors who make an extraordinary difference in their communities through volunteer work. This is the 23rd year the Good Neighbor Awards program has recognized Realtor volunteers who donate time, money and passion to enrich the lives of people in their communities, the association, NAR, stated in a press release.

As the Hawaiian island of Kaua‘i may at any time have only a handful of homes for sale under $1 million, Permanently Affordable Living (PAL) Kaua’i founder Edmonds partners with nonprofits to build and convert affordable housing for service and farm workers within walking distance to their workplaces. Edmonds navigates the complex challenges of poor infrastructure and resource scarcity through innovative, cost-saving solutions like solar energy, edible landscaping, shared electric vehicles, and shared bicycles.

“Jim has gone above and beyond to help build stronger communities and improve the lives of people across this country,” said NAR President Leslie Rouda Smith, a Realtor from Plano, Texas, and a broker associate at Dave Perry-Miller Real Estate in Dallas. “His determination and selfless commitment embody everything that we strive for as Realtors and as compassionate members of our community. I’m proud of Jim and the rest of this year’s Good Neighbor Award finalists for devoting hundreds of hours of their personal time to these important causes.”

Five winners will receive a $10,000 grant and national media exposure for their charity, including a feature in the fall issue of Realtor Magazine. The winners will also be honored in November during NAR NXT, The Realtor Experience, in Orlando, Florida. Five honorable mentions will receive $2,500 grants.

The public can vote for their favorite of the 10 Good Neighbor finalists. The top three vote-getters will be recognized as Web Choice Favorites, with the winner taking home $2,500, and the second and third place finishers each receiving $1,250, funded by Realtor.com. Cast your vote at realtor.com/goodneighbor between Sept. 1 and Oct. 3. Both the winners, as determined by judges, and the Web Choice Favorites will be announced on Oct. 6.

NAR’s Good Neighbor Awards is supported by primary sponsor Realtor.com as well as the Center for REALTOR Development.

“The Good Neighbor Award finalists are a remarkable group of individuals,” said Realtor.com CMO Mickey Neuberger. “Their work shows that volunteers are truly improving our communities and making them a better place, and Realtor.com is so pleased to be able to recognize them for their efforts.”

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