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Vito Pampalona Wins National Volunteer Award for Supporting Wounded Soldiers |
REALTOR® Focus : Vito Pampalona
REALTOR® Vito A. Pampalona, a broker with Vito Anthony Homes in Rochester, Mich., is one of five winners chosen by the National Association of REALTORS® as REALTOR® Magazine’s 2011 Good Neighbor Award winners. Pampalona was selected for his devotion to helping injured soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
“The Good Neighbor Awards program acknowledges REALTORS® who are dedicated to strengthening communities through volunteer work and helping those in need,” said NAR President Ron Phipps, broker-president of Phipps Realty in Warwick, R.I. “As a past Good Neighbor Award recipient, I know of the tremendous effort and time these winners devote to each of their causes. Vito’s cause is close to his heart, a veteran himself he dedicates his time to welcoming home our nation’s soldiers with open arms.”
Pampalona, a Vietnam War veteran, has spent the past eight years raising money—a total of nearly $500,000—and giving his time to show gratitude to thousands of patients at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. Known as “Uncle Vito” to Walter Reed staff and patients, he has made sure that recovering soldiers have workout clothes, a pantry full of healthy snacks, movies to watch, a collection of books and audio books and presents at an annual Christmas party.
“When I returned home from Vietnam, people looked at veterans in an unappreciative light,” said Pampalona. “I told myself that if we ever had another war, I was going to make sure these young people felt welcome and appreciated for the sacrifices they had made.”
“Pampalona’s generosity has translated into a quality-of-life improvement for soldiers and a morale booster for staff and patients alike,” said Kate Yancosek, a U.S. Army major who was an occupational therapist stationed at Walter Reed. “When Vito would call the clinic to ensure that the latest package had arrived, we would pass the phone around taking turns talking with him just as if he were a real uncle.”
After about a year of sending packages, Pampalona worked with hospital staff to plan what has become his signature event, Uncle Vito’s Christmas Party. Since that time, the event has doubled in size to more 200 soldiers and family. “For those four or five hours, everyone feels normal,” said Pampalona. “If I can make them smile for one hour or one day, that’s worth more to me than anything.”
No longer relying solely on out-of-pocket dollars for the Christmas party and other efforts, Pampalona has teamed up with the Yellow Ribbon Fund Inc., an organization in Bethesda, Md., for which he’s a founding board member. Most recently, Pampalona raised more than $73,000 for the Annual Yellow Ribbon Fund Golf Outing last summer at a country club in Rochester, Mich.
“Vito doesn’t do anything halfway,” said Robert Taylor, a practitioner with Coldwell Banker Weir Manuel in Birmingham, Mich. “Everything he does, he does to the best of his ability. For him, 100 percent is standard operating procedure.”
In September, the Walter Reed hospital was combined with Bethesda National Naval Medical Center to create the U.S. military’s largest medical facility. Pampalona now has even more soldiers who will be calling him “Uncle Vito.”
Pampalona and the other four Good Neighbor Award winners will each receive a $10,000 grant for their charity and a $2,000 Lowe’s gift card, and will be profiled in the November-December issue of REALTOR® Magazine. The recipients will receive their awards on Saturday, November 12, at the 2011 REALTORSÒ Conference & Expo in Anaheim, California.
“The Good Neighbor Awards honor REALTORS® who are leaders in their community,” said Frank Sibley, REALTOR® Magazine publisher. “This year’s winners have literally saved lives, and inspire those around them to make positive changes in the world. We hope this award and the grant money will allow these REALTORS® to expand their reach and help even more people.”
Celebrating its 12th year, the Good Neighbor Awards has been awarded annually since 2000 and is presented by NAR’s REALTOR® Magazine. The Good Neighbor Awards is sponsored by Lowe’s and HouseLogic.
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 http://www.realtor.org/realtormag.
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