Vince Mirabelli of Thunder Bay, Ont. has been honoured with the first national Canadian Realtors Care Award.
Mirabelli, of Re/Max First Choice Realty, was selected from a list of 18 philanthropic Realtors from across Canada who were nominated for the award.
At 36-years-old, Mirabelli has established a successful real estate career and has helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for an array of local charities, says the Canadian Realtors Care Foundation. He started volunteering as a teen.
In 2005, he personally kick-started a gala fundraiser for the Northern Cardiac Fund of the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation, in honour of his father. This annual event is now in its 11th year and has raised approximately $500,000, which has been instrumental to the growth of the local hospital’s cardiology program. In 2009, with an initial donation of $25,000, he established the Vince Mirabelli Paediatric Endowment Fund in support of the hospital’s littlest patients. He aims to grow the fund to $1 million in his lifetime.
“Vince is a true pillar of his community of Thunder Bay. He is involved in virtually every charitable event in town. He has become part of the heart and soul of a number of local charities,” says Ralph Fyfe, chair of the Canadian Realtors Care Foundation. “The full list of charities he has supported over the years is too long to recount. His impact cannot be overstated.”
In recognition of the award, the foundation will donate $5,000 to one of Mirabelli’s favourite charities, Our Kids Count, a community development program that works to build stronger families and inclusive communities in Thunder Bay.
“I think we were all put on this Earth for something greater than just ourselves,” Mirabelli says. “We were all put on this Earth to help our fellow human being.”
The award is sponsored by Scotiabank Home Financing Solutions.
