Giving back: LHF volunteer wins Good Neighbor Award

January 12, 2023| Community, People

By: Caitlin Doran

Giving to the Lake Hopatcong Foundation and back to one’s community can take many forms. When longtime volunteer and local realtor Karen Foley learned of the NJ Realtors® Good Neighbor Award, she put her name in the hat, hoping that her years of service to the community might be recognized and a donation made to the charity of her choosing. We are thrilled to congratulate Karen on winning a 2022 NJ Realtors® Good Neighbor Award last month, and we are grateful to accept a gift of $1,000 to continue our mission of protecting the environment and enhancing the experience on Lake Hopatcong!

Karen is no stranger to the Lake Hopatcong Foundation or the greater lake community. She and her husband, Tom, have been enjoying all the lake has to offer since they began visiting regularly in 1997. Their earliest memory at the lake is a very sweet one: highschoolers on a date back in 1983, strolling around none other than Bertrand Island Amusement park.

Fast-forward to 2005, after countless summer weekends up at the lake to boat and relax, the couple finally purchased and completely transformed a cottage on (you guessed it!) Bertrand Island. It’s been their dream home ever since, which they affectionally call “Le Chateau Foley Par Le Lac”, or “The House By The Lake.” In 2006, Karen began a successful career in real estate, specializing in luxury lakefront homes and unique estates throughout northern New Jersey. As a lakefront homeowner herself, and as someone invested in a healthy lake on both a personal and professional level, she became a founding member of the Lake Hopatcong Foundation in 2012.

Since that time, Karen has helped the Foundation on the fundraising side, most recently as a member of our gala committee, helping grow the event to a record-breaking $100K fundraiser. Karen also helps raise awareness for the Lake Hopatcong Foundation through her connections to the community and through her work with clients. She has even included information about our historic Lake Hopatcong Station restoration and a link to our home page in the neighborhoods section of her website, luxelifeagent.com. For all her help with fundraising and outreach, we say “Thank you!”

Whether it’s in conjunction with a well-deserved award or by seeking out a company match from your employer, there are a variety of ways to give or maximize your giving to the Foundation. Email Caitlin@lakehopatcongfoundation.org to talk it through!