BOSTON, MA (May 16, 2012) – RE/MAX of New England is pleased to announce that Karen King, Team Leader of the Karen King Group and REALTOR for RE/MAX Prestige, located at 2141 Boston Road in Wilbraham, MA, has been selected by the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women (MCSW) as one of the Commonwealth’s Unsung Heroines of 2012. She is being honored for her volunteer and community outreach work to help rebuild her hometown of Monson, MA after last year’s devastating tornados.

“We are incredibly proud of Karen and the hard work and time she’s dedicated to helping the residents and town of Monson,” said Dan Breault, Executive Vice President and Regional Director of RE/MAX of New England. “She’s devoted countless hours to helping Monson residents rebuild their lives and she absolutely demonstrates the characteristics of an unsung heroine.”

After the unexpected tornados struck Western Massachusetts at the start of June 2011, Karen immediately formed a volunteer group that began passing out flyers with the contacts of local resources that people could turn to. She also started speaking with residents about their unmet needs and matched residents up with local volunteers that could help them.

Soon after, she became the liaison between government agencies, such as FEMA that were helping with local relief efforts, and the residents of Monson. Karen now has a foundation formed called Street Angels that has volunteers who walk from house to house sharing new and pertinent town information, helps neighbors in need, and now also helps towns across the country that have recently been hit by natural disasters.

“The tornados affected 255 families in Monson and more than 90 people lost their homes. It was very apparent after the storms that there were many people seeking information and no one knew who to turn to,” said Karen King. “We have a very small town and I knew that I needed to help my community find the necessary resources to help rebuild their lives.”
Karen will be honored with her Unsung Heroine award at the 2012 Unsung Heroines Ceremony on Wednesday, May 16th at the Massachusetts State House.
She’s also recently been recognized as Citizen of the Year by the Quaboag Hills Chamber of Commerce and was recognized with the Good Neighbor Award by the Massachusetts Association of Realtors. For more information about Street Angels please visit www.streetangel.org.