June 3rd - 2015

Awards honour volunteers, milestones

Volunteers are the backbone of many organizations. That’s why the efforts of volunteers in the province’s real estate community were recognized by the Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA).

Volunteer awards

Volunteers are the backbone of many organizations. That’s why the efforts of volunteers in the province’s real estate community were recognized by the Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA).

Volunteer awardsVolunteers are the backbone of many organizations. That’s why the efforts of volunteers in the province’s real estate community were recognized during a luncheon ceremony at the annual conference of the Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA).

Patricia Verge, OREA president, and Costa Poulopoulos, immediate past president, presented various awards during the luncheon. The recognition event was held at Toronto’s Westin Harbour Castel hotel as part of the OREA conference.

The winner of the OREA Volunteer Leader Award was David Reid (picture above) of Muskoka. Reid is a member of Muskoka, Haliburton, Orillia - The Lakelands Association of REALTORS®. The audience watched a video in which Reid was described by his local association as “a remarkable individual and an outstanding member who made a lasting impact.”

Reid was praised for his “involvement in organized real estate from the committee level, to serving on the board of directors, and then as our president, and now as northeastern area representative for OREA.” Reid was lauded for demonstrating sound leadership skills during the amalgamation of two real estate boards in the province, the Muskoka & Haliburton Association of REALTORS® with the Orillia & District Real Estate Board. 


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The nomination states that Reid demonstrated “resourcefulness, initiative, hard work and dedication” when facing the retirement of an Executive Officer (EO) who had been with the association for 22 years, as well as “working with neighbouring boards and associations to strengthen relationships and partnerships.” He was praised for his sound leadership skills and selflessness. “Many association presidents will never go through an amalgamation or replacement of their EO during their term, but David’s positive attitude and focused determination never wavered from the goal to better serve the needs of the membership.”

Other nominees for the above award were: Stan Adams of the Cambridge Association of REALTORS®; John Case of the Chatham Kent Association of REALTORS®, Bill Courtney from the Windsor-Essex County Association of REALTORS®, Diane Gearing from the Kingston and Area Real Estate Association, and Karen Pynn of the Ottawa Real Estate Board.

During the luncheon, EOs from across the province were also honoured for milestone years of service working for their real estate boards. The Years of Service program recognizes EOs who have reached identified milestones, recognized in five-year increments. “We know that the growth and success of our industry is largely dependent on having strong and capable Executive Officers,” Verge told the audience.  “We want our EOs to know that they are valued and appreciated and that we recognize their unwavering contribution.”

Executive Officers recognized for their milestones were as follows: Meg Cameron-Hammel, Parry Sound and Area Association of REALTORS®, for 35 years of service; Shirley Freeman, Cambridge Association of REALTORS®, 20 years; Myra Lahti, Sudbury Real Estate Board, 20 years; Anne Schneider, REALTORS® Association of Grey Bruce Owen Sound, 15 years; Erin Nadon, Thunder Bay Real Estate Board, 10 years; Nicole Bowman, Woodstock-Ingersoll & District Real Estate Board, five years; Andrea Gagne, Sault Ste. Marie Real Estate Board, five years; and Janice Wieringa, Chatham-Kent Association of REALTORS®, five years of service. As well, three EOs were congratulated on the occasion of their retirement: Fran Clarke of the Barrie & District Association of REALTORS®; Ross Godsoe of the REALTORS® Association of Hamilton-Burlington; and Johanna Murray of the Cornwall and District Real Estate Board.

Story by Mary Ann Gratton.

PHOTO CAPTON: David Reid of Muskoka, Haliburton, Orillia - The Lakelands Association of REALTORS® was the individual winner of the OREA Volunteer Award. Group awards were also presented by OREA.

Read more about awards presented by the Ontario REALTORS® Care Foundation. 

June EDGE
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Editorial Policy: The REALTOR® EDGE newsletter is produced 11 times a year by the Ontario Real Estate Association. The newsletter aims to provide practical and useful news and information about the real estate industry to members of the association. The opinions expressed in the newsletter are not necessarily those of the publisher. Submissions from the real estate community are welcome, including letters to the editor, opinion pieces, events and news. The newsletter reserves the right to edit, based on space restrictions and/or suitability, and/or to refuse submitted material for inclusion in the newsletter without reason. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without the express written permission of the publisher is prohibited. Contents are copyright of the Ontario Real Estate Association. 


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Ontario Real Estate Association

Jean-Adrien Delicano

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