CHICAGO (October 23, 2008) – Realtor® Reita Hutson, a sales agent with John Hall and Associates in Scottsdale, Ariz., is one of five winners chosen by the National Association of Realtors® to receive REALTOR® Magazine’s 2008 Good Neighbor Award. Hutson founded Gabriel’s Dream Inc., a nonprofit that secures medical care and educational funds for the Lost Boys, young men who fled Sudan during civil war in the 1980s.
“Realtors® play an important leadership role in building strong communities,” said NAR President Dick Gaylord, a broker with RE/MAX Real Estate Specialists in Long Beach, Calif. “These five Good Neighbor Awards winners exemplify the compassion and commitment of thousands of other Realtors® who volunteer in their communities and help so many others. I’m pleased to honor these exceptional professionals.”
Six years ago, Hutson, then a 65-year-old grandmother, was visiting a supermarket when she introduced herself to Gabriel Kuany, a tall young man from Sudan, Africa, as he carried a mop. “He glided by me like a gazelle and had the look of an angel,” said Hutson. “I thought to myself, that’s one of the Lost Boys I saw on TV.”
Huston and Kuany e-mailed and met regularly. When Hutson asked Kuany what he needed, he told her he would like an education and teeth. A tribal ritual required boys to have their six lower teeth pulled for initiation into manhood.
“If I have no education, I cannot have a successful life. If I don’t have teeth, I won’t smile good,” said Kuany, now 29.
Hutson found a dentist to provide free dental implants. When other former Lost Boys saw Kuany’s teeth, they begged him to ask Hutson for their own dental work.
“I saw the hell these young men went through,” said Hutson. “Many saw family murdered, shot at in a river where the water turned red from blood, or eaten by lions. Yet, they had the joy of the Lord on their faces and were excited about their new lives.”
Hutson relished the opportunity to help her new “sons,” convincing more than 100 dentists to volunteer more than $1 million in dental care since 2002. One recipient wrote his loving thanks, “No one is ever happy to smile widely if they don’t have teeth, but you are bringing back the lost smiles. How incredible!”
As executive director of Gabriel’s Dream, Hutson handles most administrative work, fundraising, and publicity from her home office. Since 2007 she has donated $12,500 and volunteered 2,500 hours.
Through Gabriel’s Dream, Hutson has awarded $70,000 in college scholarships. She has also provided thousands of emergency dollars to help about 400 of the men in Arizona on the edge of poverty find apartments, jobs, and the security of family, community and purpose.
“Many suffer from loneliness,” said Hutson. “The African culture revolves around family and community. I listen and provide advice and comfort.”
Hutson, now 71, downplays her role in their success, noting that the boys deeply affect nearly everyone they meet. Even at a time of hiring cutbacks, area employers seek them out. One Wal-Mart manager, who had hired 12 former Lost Boys, asked Hutson to send more. “He wrote that their integrity level is second to none and that they are role models to the rest of their employees,” said Hutson.
Despite his long journey, the organization’s namesake remains euphoric about his good fortune. Kuany is studying for a college degree and working as a mental health specialist. Last year, he became an American citizen. Now, he and some other former Lost Boys are working with Hutson to raise funds to build a school in Sudan. Kuany says none of these achievements would have been possible without the woman he considers his American mother.
“I did not know I could meet a mom who could give up time to help me and other Lost Boys,” said Kuany.
Hutson believes she’s the lucky one. “God chose me to help a beautiful young man bearing the name of an angel. Not a day goes by that I don’t feel blessed. They are my sons, and I am their mom. I will help and love them for the rest of my days,” said Hutson.
Hutson and the other four Good Neighbor Award winners will each receive a $10,000 grant for their charity, a $2,000 Lowe’s gift card and be profiled in the November issue of REALTOR® Magazine, www.realtor.org/realtormag. Winners also receive a crystal trophy and the right to use the Good Neighbor Awards logo on their Web site and in promotional materials. The recipients will be presented with their awards at the 2008 REALTORS® Conference & Expo in Orlando, Fla., in November; 25,000 Realtors® and guests are expected to attend the conference.
“The 2008 REALTOR® Magazine Good Neighbor Awards winners epitomize everything a volunteer should be – dedicated, generous, and passionate about their cause,” said NAR Vice President of Publications Pamela Geurds Kabati, REALTOR® Magazine’s editorial director. “We hope these Realtors® inspire others around the country to give back to their communities.”
REALTOR® Magazine‘s Good Neighbor Awards is sponsored by eNeighborhoods, which has supported the program since its inception in 2000, as well as Homes.com, Lowe’s and LandAmerica. A contribution also was made by Phil McGinnis, McGinnis Commercial Real Estate, Dover, Del.
The Good Neighbor Awards have been awarded annually since 2000 and are presented by NAR’s REALTOR® Magazine. Nominees were judged on their personal contribution of time, as well as financial and material contributions to their cause. To be eligible, nominees had to be NAR members in good standing. More information about the Good Neighbor Awards winners is available at www.realtor.org/realtormag.
Reita, thanks for showing us how one small action can blossom into so much more. You are amazing.