By Larry Cerqua, TREB President
During my term as President of the Toronto Real Estate Board, I am most proud to have witnessed firsthand just how generous our Members are with their time and efforts, demonstrating just how much they care about the communities they live and work in.
Habitat for Humanity GTA
This year, TREB donated $150,000 to Habitat for Humanity GTA to sponsor a home for the Kabir-Akter family at Habitat’s 140 Pinery Trail site. Over the past year, TREB Members have participated in several build days at this site, investing major sweat equity into helping build the dreams of home ownership. I had the opportunity to attend a couple of these build days, and I have to say, they were both fun and inspiring!
TREB FEST
This year, I selected Gilda’s Club Greater Toronto as the charity organization to benefit from TREB FEST, an annual TREB Member fundraising event. Gilda’s Club offers emotional, social, and practical support to cancer patients and their families and friends. TREB FEST was hosted in April at a downtown venue, and it was great to see so many colleagues come out to show their support for a worthy cause. I’m also happy to report that we raised $10,000 for Gilda’s Club.
National Real Estate Day
On May 17, TREB recognized National Real Estate Day, a day for all Canadians to celebrate achieving the Canadian dream of home ownership. The day was a great success starting with an appearance on CityTV’s Breakfast Television where I announced our grand prize contest, a $3,000 RONA Home & Garden gift card. And recently, I had the pleasure of meeting and personally congratulating Frank Darling from Lindsay, Ontario who won this year’s prize!
Eleventh Annual TREB Past President’s Scholarships Awarded
Now in its eleventh year, TREB’s Past President’s Scholarship program annually awards scholarships on behalf of REALTORS® to graduating high school seniors pursuing post-secondary education. Two $5,000 first place scholarships and two $2,500 second place scholarships are available.
Earlier this year, applications were distributed to nearly 300 public and Catholic secondary schools in the GTA, as well as posted on TREB social media websites and scholarshipscanada.com. A record of academic achievement and a range of leadership qualities and community involvement are required for application; however, judging is based on a 1000-word (or less) essay.
I am happy to announce that this year’s first place winners are Janae Knott and Xia (Sophia) Ge, and the second place winners are Brittany Chang-Kit and Mica Ong. From all us here at TREB, we send them our congratulations and best wishes for their future studies.
Ontario REALTORS® Care Foundation
And finally, each year, at TREB’s Spring Annual Meeting, GTA REALTORS® vote to participate in the Ontario REALTORS Care® Foundation’s Every REALTOR® Campaign by donating $1 per Member per month. The money raised by Toronto Real Estate Board Members is distributed to shelter-related charities across the Greater Toronto Area. In 2016, a total of $547,065 was dispersed among 65 GTA charities. Of the money raised, $150,000 was earmarked for Habitat for Humanity Greater Toronto Area, sponsoring a new home for the Kabir-Akter family as mentioned above.
While all of the above represent great examples of how TREB Member REALTORS® give back to their communities, it’s important to realize that REALTORS® contribute to GTA communities every day, by helping individuals and families achieve their real estate goals. TREB Member REALTORS® possess the knowledge and skills that enable them to help buyers, sellers, and renters alike navigate the GTA marketplace with confidence.
If you have questions about the Toronto real estate market, talk to a Toronto Real Estate Board Professional Member REALTOR®. For updates on the real estate market, visit TREBhome.com. If commercial property is what interests you, contact a TREB Commercial Professional Member REALTOR® by visiting trebcommercial.com.
