Last month, The Northeast Florida Association of Realtors® (NEFAR) celebrated REALTOR® member Stacy Horst of Keller Williams Atlantic Partners in Fernandina Beach, for her recognition by the National Association of Realtors® (NAR), presenting her with the 2024 Good Neighbor Award. Stacy’s nonprofit organization Erin’s Hope for Friends has become a helping hand for autistic teens and adults to find a sense of belonging among other people like them.
Stacy and her husband founded this organization after the heartbreaking loss of their daughter, Erin, who took her own life due to the bullying she dealt with as a teen with Autism. The couple has since done great work in their community to prevent this kind of isolation and tragedy from affecting other teens and adults with autism. Since presenting her with this award, NAR has created a YouTube video highlighting all of the good Stacy’s organization has done that provides a glimpse into Erin’s Hope for Friends and how it has changed the lives of so many families for the better.
The organization has created “e’s Clubs,” located in Atlanta, GA, Lexington, KY, and Jacksonville, which Stacy describes as social clubs for autistic teens to “just hang out and be themselves.” The video features testimonials from members who have benefitted from the clubs greatly. “Without this place I’d be a lot more lonely,” said e’s Club Member, Samuel. One of Stacy’s main goals for the organization is to eventually have at least one e’s Club in every major city across the nation.
