Dale Devereaux, broker and co-owner of Century 21 Maximum from Red Deer, Alberta, has been selected as this year’s winner of CREA’s Canadian Realtors Care Award.
The award celebrates those who create a lasting impact on their community. Devereaux is being awarded for his significant contributions to Red Deer, including fundraising for local community resources and a 25-year history of supporting individuals facing food insecurity across the region.
“Our committee was deeply impressed by Dale’s relentless commitment to charitable efforts that support community development,” says Darcy McLeod, chair of CREA’s Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Committee and a member of the selection committee for the award.
Devereaux’s contributions to the community
Devereaux has helped provide meals to nearly 30,000 Albertans through his local foodbank and helped raise $12.1 million for the Ronald McDonald House Red Deer.
Devereaux has a longstanding history of giving back to his community, and his contributions grew in tandem with his professional success. Upon moving to Red Deer in the 1980s, Devereaux joined the Piper Creek Optimist Club, where he helped with many fundraising initiatives and spearheaded Sunday night bingo, which raised $100,000 a year. The club raised more than $1 million, with the funds going to support projects like the Children’s Library, Neonatal Intensive Care facilities, and Boys and Girls Club camps.
As his career grew, he applied the same diligent dedication to his volunteer work. After a particularly successful year in 1998, he wanted to do more for his community. Inspired by his passion for cooking and sharing a meal with his family, Devereaux would go on to donate 100 Christmas meals, one for each house sold that year, to the Red Deer Food Bank so that families in need could enjoy the holidays.
Combining a passion for helping others and real estate
That would become year one of Devereaux’s “Feed a Family at Christmas” campaign. Each fall since he has rallied the Red Deer community to donate Christmas dinners to the Red Deer Food Bank. In 2022, Dale’s initiative hit the quarter-century mark, a milestone indicative of the consistent support Devereaux has provided for his community.
In the mid-2000s, the director of the Ronald McDonald House asked Devereaux for help finding a suitable piece of land to build the new Ronald McDonald House in Red Deer. And what was expected to take several years ended up taking only six months, with Devereaux leading the search, which accelerated the project. He proceeded to volunteer to campaign for the construction and opening operations, helping to fundraise a monumental $12.1 million in 15 months. Since opening, the Ronald McDonald House Red Deer has served over 3,000 families by providing them with a home away from home while their child receives medical treatment at the Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre.
“When I was approached to help find a suitable site for the new Ronald McDonald House, I started doing research, and I found a lot that was close to the hospital and faces a main road in Red Deer. I think everyone just assumed this was just escarpment land, as it had never been on the market. The company that owned it was out of the U.S., so I got a hold of them, and we made a deal,” says Devereaux.
“We are, by nature of our jobs, entrenched in our communities, and many of us spend countless hours volunteering our time to support them.”
– Dale Devereaux
Devereaux was selected as the winner of the Canadian Realtors Care Award 2023 from 48 nominees, each of which made a noteworthy contribution to their community.
Devereaux’s win was announced at CREA’s Annual General Meeting, which took place Tuesday in Ottawa, and as part of the award, CREA will contribute a $5,000 donation to Devereaux’s charity of choice, the Red Deer Food Bank. Next year’s nominations for the Canadian Realtors Care Award will open in September 2023.
“This award means so much to me because it highlights the work of realtors across our county—we are, by nature of our jobs, entrenched in our communities, and many of us spend countless hours volunteering our time to support them,” says Devereaux.
Congratulations Dale!!
Dale is one of the truly wonderful people in our industry – he gives back to his community without reservation – not for recognition or legacy but simply because he sees the need. He can’t imagine sitting idly by while children and families are hungry or dealing with pain and suffering. Dale – you make us all proud to call ourselves Realtors!!!!
Congratulations Mr. Devereaux!! Those in the industry who contribute their time and energy by giving back to their community are to be commended for their efforts. Your efforts have made a lasting impact for the city of Red Deer to the benefit of children, our future.