President’s Toronto SUN Column: Serving Others Is The Highest Honour Of All

Posted by: Toronto Real Estate Admin / Category: Toronto Realtor

TREB President’s Column as it appears every Friday in the Toronto Sun’s Resale Homes and Condos section.

May 25, 2012 — One aspect of being a REALTOR® that never ceases to inspire me is the window I’m given into my clients’ hopes, challenges and interests. Throughout the years I’ve collected a wealth of knowledge on various cultures, causes and pastimes. Like you, Greater Toronto REALTORS® lead lives that are far from one-dimensional. You’ll find us involved in many aspects of life in our communities, from coaching minor league sports teams, to contributing to the important work of hospices, to swinging hammers in support of affordable housing initiatives.

Harvey Malinsky of RE/MAX Hallmark Realty, has for example, been actively involved with the Toronto People With Aids Foundation for the past three years. He plays an integral role in organizing one of the Foundation’s major fundraisers, the Friends for Life Bike Rally, which involves sponsored cyclists riding from Toronto to Montreal. He also participates in the event, and in his three years of riding, has collected more than $100,000 in pledges.

Others like MinMaxx Realty’s Azim Rizvee, spread their efforts over a number of causes. He raises funds through charity barbeques and golf tournaments for the United Way, the Salvation Army, and the Milton Hospital Foundation, and sponsors the Milton Centre for the Arts, the Muslim Association of Milton and the Milton Skating Club.

In recognition of their efforts, Harvey and Azim each received a Community Service Award from the Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB) earlier this month.

In addition to our individual pursuits, we pool our resources to contribute to the social fabric of our city. Recently, Greater Toronto REALTORS® voted for the fifth consecutive year to allow the Toronto Real Estate Board to make a donation of $1 per Member per month for a year on behalf of its more than 34,000 Members to the REALTORS Care Foundation.

As a result of this commitment last year alone, we were able to offer grants to 35 different shelter-related charities throughout the Greater Toronto Area, including organizations that have helped abused women, homeless teens, critically ill children, and new immigrants, to name just a few. We have also proudly sponsored a number of Habitat for Humanity homes in recent years, helping low income families achieve the dream of home ownership.

In our efforts to continuously improve our service to you, hundreds of us also volunteer at our professional association. This year, the efforts of RE/MAX Ultimate’s Ken Belcher, Royal LePage’s Regina Kurth and RE/MAX Unique’s John Meehan, each of whom has contributed in the areas of Arbitration and Professional Standards, were recognized with the Toronto Real Estate Board’s David Rossi Committee Service Award. Additionally, Dosman Real Estate Services’ Michael Dosman was chosen as the recipient of this year’s Commercial Award of Merit for his many efforts, which span more than a decade.

These awards were presented at REALTOR® QUEST, TREB’s annual two-day conference for Greater Toronto REALTORS®.  It features Canada’s largest real estate trade show; a health and wellness expo; and a range of complimentary Continuing Education sessions, which REALTORS® are required to complete on an ongoing basis to keep their skills and knowledge up-to-date to serve you.

Thousands of Greater Toronto REALTORS® take part in the conference, and it’s just one example of their many quiet efforts to serve you better, because receiving your confidence really is the highest honour of all.

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Article source: http://www.torontorealestateboard.com/market_news/president_columns/pres_sun_col/index.htm

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