REALTORS® have until 2 a.m. CDT Saturday (Sept. 29) to vote for Illinoisans Jack Persin and Michael LaFargue in the Web Choice competition of the NAR Good Neighbor Awards. Vote now.

The finalists with the first, second and third-most votes will earn bonus grants of $2,500, $1,250 and $1,250 for their nonprofit organizations. Persin and LaFargue are among 10 finalists for the awards who will receive grants for the nonprofit organizations they represent. On Oct. 2, NAR will announce five winners who’ll receive $10,000 grants, national media exposure, travel expenses to the 2018 REALTORS® Conference & Expo in Boston. The remaining five finalists will be named as honorable mentions and receive $2,500 grants.

Persin (Baird & Warner in Naperville) co-founded Naperville Responds for Veterans, a nonprofit that helps low and moderate-income veterans and their families live with dignity and remain in their homes as they age. The organization has helped nearly 200 veterans to date by making needed repairs, such as replacing aging systems and constructing wheelchair ramps to accommodate disabilities.

LaFargue (Coldwell Banker Residential in Chicago) LaFargue has worked in several nonprofits related to transportation, schools, neighborhoods and parks in an effort to make change in underserved areas of Chicago. He led an effort to install 40 neighborhood security cameras, which led to the arrest of suspects in the murder of a local judge. He also leads the Red Line Extension Coalition which helped drive a $2 billion, 5.3-mile train route expansion that would benefit people in underserved areas.

Find out more about the NAR Good Neighbor Award program and the 2018 finalists.