Celebrating 10 Years of the Canadian REALTORS Care® Award
CREA honours past recipients in Ottawa.
In the fall of 2015, the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) put out the first-ever call for nominations for the Canadian REALTORS Care® Award. We invited Canadians to share about what we already knew to be true: REALTORS® making a positive impact in their communities.
The goal? To celebrate members who would inspire their colleagues nationwide.
Ten years and more than 300 nominees later, 11 REALTORS® have been honoured with the award for creating lasting change for community members in need.
Whether they are leading fundraising initiatives, rallying fellow REALTORS®, developing new resources for non-profits, or starting their own charity, each recipient is a beacon of the REALTORS Care® spirit in their own unique way.
Past recipients:
- Vince Mirabelli of Thunder Bay, Ontario (2016)
- Laura-Leah Shaw of Vancouver, British Columbia (2017)
- Carolyn Swinson of Toronto, Ontario (2018)
- Geoff and Regan Archambault of Winnipeg, Manitoba (2019)
- Ron Antalek of Maple Ridge, British Columbia (2020)
- Gregg Bamford of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (2021)
- Lorna Hamm of Calgary, Alberta (2022)
- Dale Devereaux of Red Deer, Alberta (2023)
- Kelly Byers of Woodstock, Ontario (2024)
- Kandice Henry of Brampton, Ontario (2025)
Gathering recipients for a milestone event
To celebrate the Canadian REALTORS Care® Award’s tenth anniversary, we gathered past recipients together for the first time to honour them and catch up on what they’ve been doing since we last profiled their efforts.
During their recent visit to Ottawa, recipients joined CREA for another anniversary, CREA’s 40th annual PAC Days. They joined as guests of honour at a celebration dinner that paid tribute to both the past recipients of the Canadian REALTORS Care® Award and the 2025 recipients of the Outstanding PAC Team Awards.
True to form, they couldn’t leave without giving back.
They joined us to volunteer at CREA’s own REALTORS Care® Day to help the Lowertown Community Resource Centre rejuvenate its community house.
What’s changed, and what’s the same
Unsurprisingly, each of our past recipients has continued working to make their communities a better place for all.
The inaugural recipient, Vince Mirabelli, now spends much of his time working with grassroots organizations that provide critical services to community members in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Mirabelli can be found helping behind the scenes at many organizations, including the Dew Drop Inn, a local community kitchen, the Dementia Café at Urban Abbey, and Evergreen United’s children’s centre.
While their dedication remains unwavering, they all agreed that the needs of their communities have grown, with seemingly more Canadians than ever in need of support.
“When I look at the Red Deer Food Bank, which I’m sure is going to be quite common across the country, in a typical month, they will serve 2,700 people in an emergency food situation,” said Dale Devereaux, recipient of the Canadian REALTORS Care® Award 2023. “[Now], in a given month, on top of [the 2,700], they would help 4,500 people, and we’re a city of 104,000 people.”
A shared takeaway from their time together was how inspiring it felt to connect with other changemakers in real estate, each leaving more motivated to make their communities better places.
“Honestly, they inspire me with some of the things that they do,” reflected Kelly Byers, recipient of the Canadian REALTORS Care® Award 2024. “I think a really cool thing is we have the opportunity to discuss ways we can gain ideas from each other to collaborate on things.”
Nominate a deserving REALTOR®
As we close the first decade of the Canadian REALTORS Care® Award, CREA is still on the search for the next REALTOR® who exemplifies compassion, leadership, and dedication for their community.
The Canadian REALTORS Care® Award 2026 Proudly Presented by REALTOR.ca will be announced at CREA’s 2026 Annual General Meeting in April. The recipient’s charity of choice will receive a $10,000 donation in their honour.
If you know a REALTOR® who sounds a lot like our past recipients, we invite you to nominate them for the award. Nominations close November 30, 2025.
