National association honors Eden Village co-founder

The National Association of Realtors is honoring AMax Real Estate agent Linda Brown for her work as co-founder of Eden Village, a housing project for the homeless.

Brown was among five agents nationwide selected for the NAR's Good Neighbor Award program, according to a news release. The honor recognizes real estate agents impacting their community through volunteer work.

The award comes with a $10,000 grant for Eden Village, and Brown will be featured in the November-December issue of Realtor Magazine. The Good Neighbors initiative has awarded nearly $1.4 million in grants to date.

“I am proud to honor Linda Brown for dedicating so much time and passion to making sure people across her community have meals to eat and a safe place to sleep," said NAR President Vince Malta, a broker at Malta & Co. Inc. in San Francisco, California, in the release.

Through The Giving Tree nonprofit she operates with her husband, David, Brown completed the first Eden Village development for the chronically homeless in 2019. A second tiny-homes development is underway in Springfield, and the organizations are working with nonprofits across the country in development of their own concepts to house the homeless.

Brown is among honorees of Springfield Business Journal's 2020 Most Influential Women. A virtual ceremony is scheduled Oct. 9.