It’s no secret REALTORS® are trusted experts in their communities. With this expertise often comes an understanding of a community’s needs, and REALTORS® across Canada are taking action to meet these needs. Now is your opportunity to recognize someone whose actions have created an outstanding, positive impact for their community.
The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) is now accepting nominations for the Canadian REALTORS Care® Award 2024, proudly presented by REALTOR.ca. Each year, this award recognizes a REALTOR® whose charitable accomplishments have created lasting change in the lives of others.
Those interested in nominating a candidate may do so by completing the Canadian REALTORS Care® Award nomination form. Any member of CREA, in good standing, who isn’t a member of CREA’s board of directors or its Environmental, Social, and Governance Committee can be nominated.
CREA is asking nominators to send in inspiring stories of REALTORS® who go above and beyond to make an impact. Nominators will need to complete the nomination form, providing a history of the REALTOR®’s charitable work and highlighting the positive difference this REALTOR® is making in their community.
Alongside the nomination form, nominators need to submit at least one letter of recommendation obtained in the past year from a representative of a registered charity supported by the nominee. They also need to include at least one piece of supporting documentation which can be but is not limited to media coverage, photographs or social media posts.
Since 2016, nine REALTORS® across five provinces have been honoured with the Canadian REALTORS Care® Award. Whether their impact was made through transformative volunteering, advocacy, fundraising or philanthropy, every recipient has embodied the REALTORS Care® spirit.
The 2023 recipient, Dale Devereaux, has been finding ways to support the city of Red Deer, Alberta, since moving to the community in the 1980s. Devereaux partnered with the Red Deer Food Bank to feed close to 30,000 central Albertans over the past 25 years, through his “Feed a Family at Christmas” campaign. He also played a key role in bringing a Ronald McDonald House to his community — finding the land the house now sits on and helping to raise a staggering $12.1 million in 15 months for the facility’s construction.
- Devereaux was one of 48 REALTORS® nominated for the 2023 award. Through the new REALTORS Care® Spotlight series, CREA has and will continue to share the impactful stories of some of these nominees, including:
- Chris Dunlop, of Toronto, Ontario, who has led multi-million-dollar capital campaigns for local youth centres, all while motivating his brokerage to become a national leader in fundraising for the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation.
- Brenda MacKenzie, of Halifax, Nova Scotia, who founded “A Home for Everyone”, to support the city’s unhoused population, over a decade ago. She now uses the non-profit to help families in need find and finance a safe place to call home.
- Rose Iannacchino, of Niagara Falls, Ontario, who spends countless hours creating access to healthy and affordable food for the most vulnerable members of her community, as the volunteer co-executive director of GROW Community Food Literacy Centre.
The recipient of the Canadian REALTORS Care® Award 2024 will be announced at CREA’s Annual General Meeting, in April 2024, and their story will be shared across the country. In addition to receiving national recognition and coverage, CREA will donate $5,000 to the recipient’s favourite charity.
Each nominee may have the opportunity to have their impact featured as part of next year’s REALTORS Care® Spotlight series. Nominees asked to be featured will be contacted by CREA’s REALTORS Care® team, in early 2024.
Nominations must be submitted by 4 p.m. EST on Friday, December 1. For full details, and to nominate a deserving REALTOR®, go to REALTORSCare.ca/nominate.
