MANCHESTER - As a Realtor, Lisa Boucher knows the value of getting someone into the home of their dreams. As a community volunteer, she knows the value of helping them remain there well into their golden years.

Boucher, 34, has been co-owner of Hearthside Realty LLC since 2004. A graduate of Manchester Central High School who excelled at track and cross country, she moved to Boston after graduating Middlebury College in 1999, but returned to the Queen City with her husband, Brent, to raise their two children — and give back to the community that gave her such a strong start in life.

“The flexible schedule that comes with my job affords me the opportunity to devote time to causes and charities that are important to me,” said Boucher. “There are weeks where I don't get a minute to myself and weeks where I have too much time on my hands. I am always content at the end of the day if I was able to help someone else or put my time and energy into something greater than my own needs. My mother has been an active volunteer since well before I was born. Many of my childhood memories were of tagging along with her as she volunteered at nursing homes or fundraising events. This spirit of volunteerism was handed down to her by her mother before her, so it's really ingrained in who I am.”

Boucher joined the Seniors Count Neighborhood Committee, and about a year later became chairperson.

“The Seniors Count Neighborhood Committee was created as a ‘think tank' for Seniors Count's initiative of helping seniors integrate themselves into their immediate communities,” said Boucher. “It was made up of Seniors Count staff, social workers, and volunteers. The idea was that seniors who have strong ties in their neighborhood could safely stay in their homes longer. The committee would meet monthly to develop a model of neighbor helping neighbor geared toward integrating seniors into their neighborhoods.”

Seniors Count at one time had a maintenance committee that focused on home repair and ongoing home-focused efforts for seniors, such as the spring safety survey, which sent trained volunteers into at-risk seniors' homes to identify (and later correct) potential hazards, as well as spring and fall yard cleanups. She was an active participant in these programs, specifically the fall cleanup, where each year she recruited over 20 volunteers to join her in raking yards for seniors without the physical or financial means to do it themselves.

“The Neighborhood Committee and Maintenance Committees were merged in 2010, so now I am the chairperson of the newly formed Home and Community Committee, which does everything the two original committees did,” said Boucher. “This past fall the committee coordinated hundreds of volunteers from around the city to clean the yards of over 70 local seniors. We're already hard at work planning the spring survey and yard cleanup.”

Boucher will celebrate the 20th anniversary of her company, Hearthside Realty, this year. She feels its success is based in the personal approach she and others believe in.

“We have been successful because we have a good reputation in the industry,” said Boucher. “Our personal approach to real estate develops lasting relationships with our clients, who in turn recommend us to friends and family. Even in a bad economy there are people who need to make a change, so we have stayed busy despite the market.”

Boucher encourages everyone to get involved in their community.

“If everyone gave their time to help other people around them or the community as a whole, our world would be a much better place,” said Boucher. “I think we have all been touched by someone else's kindness at some point in our lives and it's our responsibility to pay that forward.”