Staten Island Realtors Honor Community Members, Hold Annual Elections

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – The Staten Island Board of Realtors (SIBOR) hit another milestone in its centennial-anniversary year at a recent morning ceremony honoring real estate professionals and others who have contributed to the betterment of the community.
The honorees were lauded Oct. 22 during the organization’s Annual Membership, Elections and Awards Meeting at the Hilton Garden Inn, Bloomfield.

“Each of the award recipients has helped to enhance the quality of life on Staten Island. We are both fortunate and proud to have them as our friends and neighbors,” said Dilshad (Dil) Gillani, president of SIBOR.

COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARDS

Presented with SIBOR’s 2015 Community Service awards were Beatrice Victor, a motivator of health initiatives and quality senior lifestyles, and Kamillah M. Hanks, a leader and advocate for smart growth and positive economic development on the North Shore of Staten Island.

A Staten Island Advance columnist, Ms. Victor, age 94, graduated from Beth Israel Hospital in Boston with a nursing degree, and served as a Navy nurse in World War II in Bethesda, Md. Among her other duties at the time, she assisted soldiers who were injured in Iwo Jima. After the war, she worked in medical offices in Manhattan and went to NYU in the evenings for advanced medical training.

Ms. Victor in 1977 launched one of Staten Island’s first group homes for the disabled under the auspices of the Volunteers of America and served as its executive director for eight years. Her efforts additionally fueled the creation of the Island’s Senior Olympics, a program at the Staten Island Mental Health Center to provide diagnostic services for people with brain injuries, and the SeniorNet Computer Program at the Staten Island Jewish Community Center.

Community Service Award recipient Kamillah M. Hanks is the founder and president of the Historic Tappen Park Community Partnership, Inc., where she partners with civic leaders, community groups, schools and churches to boost cultural and economic development in the area.

She is also Staten Island’s representative to the Panel for Educational Policy (PEP), a 13-member panel, with eight appointments by the mayor and one by each of the city’s borough presidents.

Additionally, Ms. Hanks is vice president of the Van Duzer Street Civic Association, and was the former executive director of the Downtown Staten Island Council, helping to lead the organization’s effort to bring greater economic development to the Island’s North Shore. She also served on the City Council Districting Commission in 2012.

REALTOR SERVICE AWARD

The William (Bill) Coull Realtor Service Award was presented to Thomas G. Hyland Jr.

The late Coull, for whom the honor is named, was a real estate broker and home inspector for many years. As a Realtor, he was one of the founding members of the Staten Island Multiple Listing Service and the Richmond County Real Estate Institute, where he was one of the principle instructors.

“For those of you who knew Bill Coull … you realize that a person with Tom’s interest and background, and years of service to this industry, is the perfect recipient of the SIBOR Bill Coull Realtor Service Award,” said Sandy Krueger, CEO of SIBOR.

In his younger days, Hyland joined the New York City Police Department, later transferred to the Fire Department, and went on to follow in his father’s footsteps by becoming a real estate broker and appraiser with Hyland Real Estate.

In 2001, he drove throughout the night to offer his services to rescue workers at Ground Zero. Today, at the age of 85, Hyland is a volunteer at South Street Seaport, and works in the winter as a trainer and guide for blind skiers.

REALTOR OF THE YEAR, REALTOR ASSOCIATE OF THE YEAR

Kept under wraps until the gathering were SIBOR’ s selections for the 2015 Realtor of the Year and Realtor Associate of the Year awards, presented to Joseph Runfola, corporate broker, Clove Lake Realty Inc., and Stephanie Rosenthal, salesperson, Coldwell Banker DiTommaso Realty, respectively.

Runfola, who earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and law enforcement administration from St. John’s University, retired from the NYPD as a sergeant following 20 years of service. He started his real estate career in 2001 on Staten Island and has since expanded into Brooklyn and Manhattan. Runfola also is a long-time instructor with the Richmond County Real Estate Institute, SIBORs Real Estate School. He is a three-term chair of SIBOR’s Professional Standards Committee, and frequent chair of the Ethics and Arbitration panels. Runfola holds the Graduate, REALTOR® Institute (GRI) designation.

Realtor Associate of the Year Stephanie Rosenthal has been involved in many local non-profit organizations and has helped coordinate food drives; clothing drives; visits to nursing homes, and children’s Christmas parties for the underprivileged.

She has been a SIBOR Top Producer Club awardee since 2012 and reached the Silver level in 2014. She mentors new agents in her office and coordinates educational events, and has been a member and co-chair on numerous SIBOR committees. She began her real estate career with Hometime Realty and currently is a salesperson with Coldwell Banker DiTomasso.

AFFILIATE OF THE YEAR AWARD

Vanguard Funding LLC was honored as Affiliate of the Year.

A privately held mortgage banking firm, Vanguard Funding LLC makes a complete line of mortgage loan products available to consumers and their families through teams of dedicated and experienced staff. In addition to being a major sponsor of SIBOR events for many years, the firm has forged an industry partnership with the Richmond County Real Estate Institute, providing continuing education instructors and curriculum.

The elections that preceded the meeting and breakfast were for positions on the boards of SIBOR and the Staten Island Multiple Listing Service.

About The Staten Island Board of REALTORS® (SIBOR)

At 100 years old, the Staten Island Board of REALTORS® (SIBOR) is the largest not-for-profit professional and trade association in Staten Island, N.Y.

SIBOR exists to enhance the ability and opportunity of its members to conduct their business successfully and ethically, and promote the preservation of the public’s right to own, transfer and use real property.

Comprised of approximately 1,800 members, SIBOR serves real estate agents, brokers and affiliated professionals throughout the borough and surrounding areas.

SIBOR is the provider of the Staten Island Multiple Listing Service Inc. (SIMLS), which works as a clearinghouse through which more than 250 local real estate firms exchange information on properties they have listed for sale. Together, its members participate in over 3,000 real estate transactions every year.

All SIBOR Realtors belong to the New York State Association of REALTORS® (NYSAR) and the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR).

SIBOR may be reached at 718-928-3220 and viewed online at www.SIBOR.com. SIBOR may also be visited on Facebook at “Staten Island Board of Realtors” and “SIBOR 100” (showcasing some of the organization’s latest highlights and accomplishments), and on Twitter via @SIBOR.

Media Contact: Barton Horowitz

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