Good Neighbor

Good Neighbor

Rachel Xavier of Center Harbor, a Realtor with Keller Williams Lakes & Mountains Realty in Meredith, has been selected as the New Hampshire Association of Realtors 2023 Good Neighbor Award recipient for her volunteer efforts with the Greater Lakes Region Children’s Auction.

As a result of the award, NHAR has donated $5,000 in Xavier’s name to the Children’s Auction, the mission of which is to financially support and empower Greater Lakes Region children in need. Since its inception in 1982, the organization has donated more than $8 million to area nonprofits.

In addition to thousands of dollars in individual donations and hundreds of volunteer hours, Xavier spearheads a Children’s Auction Challenge team and has created a variety of fundraising events, including a Halloween Haunted Walk that last year raised $5,000, and a fundraising cruise aboard the MV Mount Washington in July.

“She has an extraordinary commitment to improving the quality of life in her community,” said Jennifer Kelley, Executive Director of the Auction, “not only through volunteerism but also through organizing events that help many nonprofits continue their work.”

Xavier’s story is one of resilience and gratitude. Only a decade ago, she was a single mother working three jobs and still needing state assistance to support herself and her son. “I was terrified,” she remembers today. “I knew I had to make a change.”

She took a leap of faith, re-entered the world of real estate, and has since built a successful business that allows her to give back.

“Now that I’ve turned my life around, I just want to help other people and families in need,” she said. “Just to see a smile from a parent or feel a sense of relief when we pass out the turkey dinners is all I need to keep continuing.”

Xavier was among a strong group of nominees and was selected by a working group that includes NHAR’s four member liaisons and the two most recent winners of the award – Lisa Hurley and Eric Parker.

This year’s Greater Lakes Region Children’s Auction is scheduled for Dec. 5-8, during which time NHAR President Ben Cushing will make the official presentation. Xavier will also be recognized during NHAR’s Realtor of the Year ceremony on Sept. 19.

“Rachel has an obvious empathy that fuels her service,” Cushing said. “She is exactly the kind of tireless volunteer we think of when we consider what makes a Good Neighbor.”

The NH Association of Realtors Good Neighbors program was introduced in 2003 and serves to annually recognize Realtors who make exceptional contributions to improve the quality of life in their communities through volunteerism.

Each year, one or two winners are selected from applications and recognized by NHAR leadership at the end of the year. Winners receive:

  • A portion of the $5,000 award as a donation, in their name, to their community charity
  • Coverage in their local media and on NHAR.com
  • Registration fee to attend the NHAR annual conference in September
  • A prestigious crystal award presented at a time and place of their choice
  •  of the Good Neighbor Awards logo on their Web site and promotional materials

"Amidst the sea of change to which the New Hampshire Association of REALTORS has played witness in its 85 years, one thing that has remained constant is the Realtor 'R' and the value we bring to every real estate transaction in which we take part. We are part of a unique community where our familial cooperation transcends our business competition. These are not mere platitudes, but our living ideals, and they are, in fact, the foundation on which we conduct ourselves in our day-to-day affairs."

Joanie McIntire, 2024 President, New Hampshire REALTORS