PAGE — It should come as no surprise that the caring nature and charitable mindset that earned Judy Edwards this year’s Best of Page Humanitarian of the Year title also transitions seamlessly to her business practices.
    As the owner of Gunsight Realty since 2009, Edwards and her team have earned a reputation among Page locals as fair and accommodating when it comes to finding homes in Page’s scant housing market.
    “I can admit that the real estate market can be full of sharks,” she said. “But that’s not how we do things. I know it sounds cliché, but we care about people. They are our friends, neighbors and family members. “In a small community like Page, we should all feel the need to do that.”
Edwards said the main challenge she strives to overcome is finding both affordable housing and appropriate housing for her clients – especially for young transplants.
    “People come to town and they’re either going to fall in love and stay forever, or we see the people we know won’t make it more than three years,” Edwards said. “Unfortunately, those also tend to be people like our teachers, our police officers and our firefighters.
     “But we still always strive to make sure they’re set up with something that works for them – that’s what is most important to us so we work and fight to make it happen. People come to Page from brand new housing markets and seeing what’s available in Page can be a bit of a shock.”
Edwards has also been striving to promote action by the Page City Council and at the county level to get the ball rolling on finding ways to build new housing.
    “Everyone in their own element can choose what they want to fight for, but at the end of the day we all need a place to lay our heads down,” she added.
Edwards, 73, earned Humanitarian of the Year for her ongoing role in numerous charitable and volunteer capacities. Much like the homes she selects for her clients, Edwards makes sure Page feels like a welcoming home to its residents.

Several of many examples include:
• Serving on the Page Hospital board since 2001
• Serving as coordinator for the Page Public Library’s successful Adult Literacy program
• Consistently providing time and energy to Cancer Outreach
• Raising money and food for Page Food Bank and Circle of Page
• Volunteering at the Page Farmers Market
• Serving as a Salvation Army Bell Ringer during the holidays

Chamber at Page Lake Powell director Judy Franz called Edwards “an intricate… [and] very active part of the Page community” before presenting her with the award.
    “These are but a few of the things she does,” Franz said. “You can always count on her to attend and support local businesses and associations, whether it’s the Lake Powell Concert Association, City Council meetings, community center functions, Chamber mixers, Coffee with a Cop, or just volunteering for one of the many things that are close to her heart and she feels is for the good or betterment of the community.”

    “As the owner of a very busy and extremely successful business, she still finds the energy and volunteers her time to so many different organizations which help and shape our community,” Franz concluded.
    Edwards has been part of the Page community since 1996 and has been leaving her mark on it ever since.
    In 2003 she earned the coveted Athena Award – an international distinction given to either a man or woman for “attaining professional excellence, community service and for actively assisting women in their achievement of professional excellence and leadership skills.” Edwards earned the reward in part for her work the adult literacy program as well as her success as a businesswoman and real estate broker.
    One of Edwards’ students in the program, a Korean national who wanted to learn English to better her life in the United States, went on to earn her GED and graduate from university with a masters degree.
    A huge advocate for volunteerism long before coming to Page, Edwards said her parents instilled in her an egalitarian worldview when she was a kid. Spending much of her time on military bases cemented those beliefs even further.
    “Having lived on a military base for over 37 years, volunteerism has always been a way of life for me. On a military base, the fathers, mothers, husbands and wives leave for 30 days, three months or a year before they return or don’t,” Edwards said. “We have to help each other. It is that background that I have used to help neighbors and friends in the Page Lake Powell area over the years.”
    Edwards was both genuinely surprised and humbled when she learned she had won Humanitarian of the Year.
    “It’s an honor,” she said. “I’m still in shock, but it means a lot coming from the community.”
    Talking with the Chronicle, it was clear her notions of what it takes to run a successful business and what it takes to provide for your community are one and the same – Helping others should just come naturally.