For some, it’s deeply personal. For others, it is for the greater good. Realtors around King County are serving not just their home buyers and sellers, but also as volunteers for charities in their communities and with their professional associations.

Since 1939, Realtors in King County have commemorated community involvement. Each year, an individual, couple, family or organization is singled out as an example of exceptional citizens and volunteers.

Seattle King County Realtors (SKCR) presented the 86th Seattle King County First Citizen Award (seattlefirstcitizen.org) in May. This award – believed to be this region’s oldest such recognition – was presented to Seattle Kraken CEO Tod Leiweke. A capacity crowd was on hand to celebrate his visionary leadership, his benevolence and mentorship, his devotion to various civic causes and for being a remarkable champion for inclusion. Throughout his career, he has created long-lasting community impact and engagement through sports and entertainment.

At the May 16 civic banquet, Realtors celebrated students who just received First Citizen scholarships. This year, the Seattle King County First Citizen Scholarship Foundation awarded $51,000 in scholarships to more than two dozen students. As part of the criteria, applicants need to demonstrate good citizenship, involvement in community service, and be affiliated with a SKCR member.

Each year, one exceptional student is awarded the top honor, named for a Realtor who exemplifies the ideals of the First Citizen Award.

Antonia Kwan of Bellevue was singled out for the Dahni Malgarini-Logar scholarship, named this year in honor of Dahni (1962-2023) who was widely respected as a leader, mentor and extraordinary volunteer. Kwan, a senior at Newport High School in Bellevue, has an impressive record of community service, leadership, sports, youth government, and academics. She is continuing her education at the University of Washington Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering.

Also impressive are the hundreds of Realtors who donate their time, talent and treasure to serving countless causes and nonprofits. Whether serving on school boards, planning commissions or in various capacities with non-for-profit organizations, these unsung heroes exhibit the four components of servant leadership: empathy, flexibility, stewardship and listening.

To recognize these members’ acts of giving back, SKCR presents Good Neighbor Awards each quarter and presents the winners with a $500 check for their chosen charity. These awards, which are aligned with the National Association of Realtors® Good Neighbor Awards, seek to highlight, inspire and preserve the individual contributions within the real estate industry toward improving the livability of our communities.

The most recent winners of SKCR’s Good Neighbor Awards were Christopher Dantzscher, designated broker at Black Knight Real Estate in Monroe, and Michele Hanrahan of Windermere Eastlake.

Dantzscher volunteers with the United States Marine Corps Support Group of Washington, which provides educational and transitional support to Marine and Navy Corpsman veterans statewide. Since he became involved seven years ago, Dantzscher, who served in the Marines, has expanded program coverage. He also grew the scholarship program by 50%, securing new partnerships with local colleges and even funding a scholarship. Asked why he chose this organization his response was “Once a Marine, always a Marine – helping my brothers navigate in the sea of life.”

Hanrahan applied her interest in food and nutrition by volunteering with Teen Feed, a nonprofit that serves daily healthy meals to houseless youth in Seattle’s University District. She recently transitioned to a volunteer advocate role where she helps nurture relationships with the young adults who access the program’s low barrier services, which include street outreach and healthcare support.

Realtor Tara Cummins has devoted eight years to the Southwest Seattle Historical Society, where she focuses on fundraising. The community organization, founded in 1984 by White Center real estate broker Elliott Couden, is dedicated to historic preservation, heritage education and community service for the Duwamish peninsula, including West Seattle and White Center. Among the highlights of her involvement are the preservation and restoration of numerous buildings of West Seattle’s Junction neighborhood.

“It’s part of what keeps West Seattle unique. It helps the small business community retain independent stores,” says Cummins, a broker at Coldwell Banker Bain Seattle. She also notes the Log House where the museum is located reminds her of her grandfather’s homestead, “Plus,” she adds, “they have a Totem pole out front, and I am fascinated by indigenous storytelling told through that art form.”

Lynn Sanborn, a managing broker at Windermere Real Estate and VP membership with Washington Realtors, supports various nonprofits including Attain Housing. “Everyone deserves a safe place to call home,” she says.

That organization, which has a strategic partnership with Hopelink to operate its properties, serves homeless and low-income families, helping them not only with transitional and long-term housing, but also with comprehensive support “to help families move from crisis to stability.” Sanborn’s involvement includes chairing charity events for several years, helping them raise more than $1 million between fundraisers and increasing their grant writing efforts to position them to be able to buy more properties.

Another Realtor with a passion for helping people live in safe, healthy homes they can afford is Sol Villarreal, SKCR’s VP-elect, governmental and public affairs. Villarreal, a broker at Windermere Eastlake, has served on the board of The Washington Low Income Housing Alliance since 2016. Among his areas of focus for this “statewide champion for housing” is advocating in Olympia to increase funding for affordable housing and homelessness prevention statewide. “I believe every Washingtonian should have access to a safe, affordable home,” he says.

“Vine Maple Place has my heart,” says Pam McCain, managing broker at John L. Scott’s Kent-Covington office. Since nine churches in Maple Valley joined together in 2000 to help homeless moms, it has grown to serve more than 1,000 families, with 91% of them successfully housed within a year. The organization aims to prevent and end homelessness for single-parent families in South King County. “From humble beginnings, they are now a thriving community asset,” reports McCain.

Among the organizations that Gina Madeya supports is Alpha Supported Living Services, where she is a board member. The nonprofit agency serves individuals in King, Snohomish and Spokane counties who have developmental disabilities with supported living and group training home services that maximize each person’s quality of life.

For Madeya, a broker with Windermere Real Estate East in Kirkland and SKCR’s VP of governmental and public affairs, giving back to this agency has a personal connection. “My older sister is developmentally disabled, so the cause is near and dear to my heart,” she explains.

Since joining the board four years ago, she has witnessed (and helped) the organization grow significantly, merge with similar agencies to become the state’s largest nonprofit provider of supported living services and be recognized statewide for its quality of care and exceptional leadership.

No matter the cause, Realtors in every jurisdiction in King County exhibit similar qualities as those who receive the First Citizen Award. Together, they share their passion for giving back to encourage good citizenship and to enhance the quality of life for all residents.

Dan Wingard is the office leader and business coach at John L. Scott’s Redmond office and 2024 VP member services & communication at Seattle King County REALTORS®.