Business, Economics, Education, Entrepreneurs,
Environment, Science and Technology
|
|
|
|
____________________
Merit Award
Mary Bales receives REALTOR® Merit Award
The Kitchener-Waterloo Real Estate Board's REALTOR® Merit Award recognizes commitment and dedication to the industry and to organized real estate, co-operation and support to others similarly employed, personal and professional integrity, and contribution to the community.
Mary Bales, recipient of the 2007 award, relocated to this community in 1969 and pursued graduate studies at both the University of Waterloo and the University of Toronto.
Bales has been a member of the Board for more than 30 years, and is currently a sales representative with Coldwell Banker Peter Benninger Realty. She has been recognized by her brokerage and franchise for her outstanding achievements in residential real estate sales, both locally and nationally.
Her contributions to this community are legion:
She served on the Board of Governors of the University of Waterloo, and has served on its Executive, Governance, Senior Compensation, Building and Property Committees.
She established endowments for undergraduate scholarships and bursaries.
She served as vice president of the YWCA and chaired its capital campaign.
She chaired the Leadership Program of the K-W United Way and helped create and develop its endowment fund.
She served as a director of Grand River Hospital, where she chaired the Governance and Strategic Planning Committee and the Nominations Committee.
She is a member of the board of Economical Insurance, the only woman ever to have sat on that board.
The culmination of Bales' volunteer activities was the creation of Heartwood Place, a charitable organization that provides safe, affordable and adequate housing, whose first project was to give new life to an old industrial building by creating 33 affordable apartments in downtown Kitchener. The success of this project earned a coveted National Housing Award in 2003 for Best Practices.
Heartwood Place is committed to making a serious contribution to the critical shortage of affordable housing in the Region of Waterloo, and is currently developing 66 apartments in Galt.
Bales was named Community Leader of the Year by the Greater Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber of Commerce in 2003, and in 2004 was honoured at the Mayor's Dinner for her work in creating affordable housing.
In 2006 she received a Meritorious Service Medal from the Governor General for establishing Heartwood Place and making an outstanding contribution to her community.
|
|
|
| © Copyright 2008/Exchange Morning Post/Exchange Business Communications Inc. |
