Ron Antalek, a sales rep with Re/Max Lifestyles Realty in Maple Ridge, B.C. is the 2020 recipient of the Canadian Realtors Care Award.
Antalek is a second-generation Realtor with more than 30 years of experience, says CREA. In 1989, he put his career as a schoolteacher on hold to work alongside his father and sister in real estate.
His contributions to the Ridge Meadows Hospital Foundation were instrumental in the creation of the Antalek Family Psychiatry Unit, which serves the mental health needs of adult patients within the hospital walls, says CREA.
He has served on the Ridge Meadows Hospital Foundation Board of Directors since 2009 and has been its chair since 2012. As part of this role, he has been deeply involved in the foundation’s strategic planning.
In a story on the Realtors Care website, Antalek says he hopes that by accepting the award and sharing his story, he might inspire others to give volunteering a try. “What is your passion? What makes you feel warm inside? What can bring a tear to your eye? Pursue that as a volunteer,” he says.
In Ron Antalek’s honour, CREA has donated $5,000 to the Ridge Meadows Hospital Foundation.
Other Realtors who were nominated by friends, fellow Realtors and charity representatives for being inspiring examples of Realtors giving back were
- Gregg Bamford of Re/Max Saskatoon East, Saskatoon
- Kevin Dol of Royal LePage in The Comox Valley, Courtenay, B.C.
- Rebecca Pearl Himelfarb of Forest Hill Real Estate, Toronto
- Bill Hubbard of Century 21 Executives Realty, Vernon, B.C.
- Bruce Johnson of Re/Max of Wasaga Beach, Wasaga Beach, Ont.
- Jeff McMaster of Royal LePage Team Realty, Carleton Place, Ont.
- John Patricelli of Sutton – Centre Realty, Burnaby, B.C.
- Colin Zappia of Sutton Group – Ottawa Realty, Ottawa
CREA says if you know a Realtor who is making a difference in their community and deserves recognition on a national level, watch for the announcement of the nomination period for the 2021 award this September.
REM is the official media sponsor for the 2020 award.
