Charlotte Zawada is the 2021 recipient of the Kitchener-Waterloo Association of Realtors Volunteer Award.
The award is presented annually to a Realtor who has shown both commitment and dedication to the association and within the community.
“Charlotte has a big heart and is so deserving of this recognition,” says Megan Bell, president of KWAR. “She has been a stalwart supporter of KWAR and the community at large. Her commitment to promoting professionalism and to improving lives of others can be seen in her extensive volunteerism and leadership.”
Zawada has been a member of KWAR since 2004 and is a sales representative with Re/Max Twin City Realty. She has participated in and chaired numerous committees of the association as well as at the Ontario Real Estate Association and CREA. From 2013 to 2018 she served on the KWAR board of directors and in 2016 she led the association as president. Since 2018 she has served on the board of directors of Information Technology System Ontario, a not-for-profit corporation providing MLS services for 20 real estate associations in Ontario.
KWAR says Zawada’s involvement in causes goes back to her days as a young person championing gay and lesbian rights through grassroots organizations such as The Lesbian Organization of Kitchener (LOOK). Then as a retail store employee, she helped to lead the corporation’s United Way campaigns and raise money to bring families from war-torn Sierra Leone. Once she started her career in real estate, she wanted to make a difference for those struggling to find affordable and adequate housing, KWAR says. She served on the Heartwood Place board of directors in the early days of its formation and in 2019 she was on the Safe Affordable Housing Committee. Currently Zawada is a member of the Habitat for Humanity Waterloo Region board of directors.
“Charlotte has always been a champion of people. Be it her clients, other Realtors or those in our community who are vulnerable or could just use additional support to get them by,” says Bill Duce, CEO of KWAR. “She leads with her heart and has a moral compass aligned to ensuring equity, diversity and inclusivity for all.”
KWAR has created a video that can be viewed here.
