Mainstreet REALTORS recognizes winners of Good Neighbor Award

Mainstreet REALTORS announced three winners of this year’s Good Neighbor Award. This award recognizes Mainstreet REALTORS who have made extraordinary commitments to improving their communities through volunteer work. The winners were chosen from a pool of nominees who had all contributed significant personal time to programs that improve livability in local communities.

Mainstreet would like to acknowledge the three winners:

First Place: Cindy and Marty Eich, Baird Warner, Kendall Nicole Eich Foundation. Cindy and Marty Eich founded the Kendall Nicole Eich Foundation in memory of their daughter, Kendall. The nonprofit’s mission is to share Kendall’s spirit of compassion and generosity with brain cancer patients and their families. Kendall was diagnosed with a glioblastoma at 30 years old. This type of stage four brain cancer offers an average survival of eight months and an average cost to patient families exceeding $100,000, making it one of the most expensive diagnoses, in addition to offering a most grim prognosis. The goal of the organization is to provide patient families a measure of financial relief, allowing patients to focus more fully on their physical and emotional wellbeing. Assistance can also be used to help a patient pursue a goal or enjoy a memory making experience.

Second Place: Lisa Hillman, john greene, Realtor, Bike Bald Group. Following her own cancer diagnosis and personally experiencing the benefits of the Bike Bald Group, Lisa Hillman has served as a volunteer, donor and fundraiser for the nonprofit. The Bike Bald Group, focuses on helping children diagnosed with cancer or other life-altering diagnoses and their families. This includes transportation to appointments, aligning care and therapy, installing chair lifts, finding wheelchairs or service dogs and more. They also send kids to specialized camps and help connect them to experiences. The organization also runs a toy drive every Christmas that provides gifts for these families and other families struggling financially.

Third Place: Eileen Oliver, Real People Realty, 209 Scholarship. Eileen Oliver is a member of the volunteer-based Board of Directors for 209 Scholarship, a program designed to support students in the Proviso District who are working to overcome adversity and achieve academic excellence. She has dedicated countless hours to ensuring the organization’s scholarship process is carried out with the utmost fairness and integrity. The 209 Scholarship offers an Overcoming Adversity Scholarship to support students who may not have the strongest academic records but have demonstrated remarkable determination and improvement over the course of their high school careers. They also offer a Persistence Pays Scholarship that recognizes students who have maintained consistent academic excellence throughout their high school years.

"As Mainstreet REALTORS, we serve as champions of our local community and the causes we care about. These four individuals have gone above and beyond, serving as examples of what it means to be a leader in our field and beyond," said Tim Ryan, immediate past president of Mainstreet REALTORS.

Each winner received a contribution — in their name — to the charity or organization of their choosing.

“Not only are these three individuals tireless advocates for their clients, but also for these organizations that have touched their hearts and positively impacted the lives of those around them. They represent what it means to be a Mainstreet REALTOR and I’m so proud of them for achieving these honors," said Mainstreet REALTORS CEO John Gormley.