Ontario communities face real pressures, from rising living costs to economic uncertainty. For someone already struggling, these challenges can make it difficult to get by. While these issues can feel complex, positive change often begins in a simpler way: with people choosing to act.
That is the spirit of the Ontario REALTORS Care® Foundation’s Real Heart Awards. This annual award recognizes one individual and one organization in Ontario’s organized real estate community who goes beyond professional success to make a meaningful difference in shelter and food insecurity. It is about leadership, responsibility, and understanding that strong communities are built through care, commitment, and collaboration.
The Power of One: Leadership That Inspires
For more than 20 years, Arms Burmalag has used his voice, first as a broadcaster and now as a REALTOR®, to bring people together around causes that matter.
In Windsor–Essex, Arms has supported initiatives like CKLW, a local radio station, Cans for Cause, which brings REALTORS®, brokerages, and community partners together to collect thousands of pounds of food and financial donations for families experiencing food insecurity. He is also involved with Fight Like Mason Foundation, Canadian Blood Services drives, amongst other local initiatives supporting children and families in need. Across each effort, a consistent pattern emerges: identify a need, rally the community, and take action.
What makes this kind of philanthropy so impactful is not just participation, it is mobilization. When leaders step forward, others follow. When one professional treats giving back as part of their responsibility, it changes mindsets and shifts cultures. Over time, generosity becomes part of how a community operates.
As part of his Real Heart Award recognition, a $500 donation was directed to the Fight Like Mason Foundation. Arms and his team chose not only to match the donation, but to increase it to $2,000! This is a reminder that even small acts can have a ripple effect when they inspire others to act. Individual effort matters, but its greatest impact comes from inspiring collective momentum.
The Power of Many: When an Industry Comes Together
If one person can spark change, imagine what happens when an entire association rallies behind a cause.
And the Kingston and Area Real Estate Association is just one example. Over the past year, members volunteered at food drives, filled vans with holiday donations, and supported Partners in Mission Food Bank. Each effort reflected a simple truth: stable housing and food security are closely connected.
Their impact grew further with the inaugural Glimmer Gala, which raised $100,000 to support Homes for Heroes, helping build tiny homes for unhoused veterans in Kingston and surrounding areas.
This is what collective philanthropy looks like in action. When REALTORS® come together to pool their skills, networks, and resources, the impact multiplies. What might start as a volunteer opportunity becomes a community-wide statement: housing professionals care about housing security. Their collective efforts show that when industries mobilize thoughtfully, they can create meaningful, lasting change.
The $500 donation that accompanies their Real Heart Award further extends this impact, but the true value lies in the culture they have cultivated. A culture where giving back is recognized, celebrated, and seen as part of professional life.
Why Recognition Matters
Acknowledging philanthropy is about more than celebrating generosity, it is about reinforcing values. Recognition encourages others to step forward, signals that community engagement is integral to professional life, and strengthens the connection between local businesses and the communities they serve.
At its core, philanthropy is about belonging, sharing prosperity, supporting those in need, and ensuring no one is invisible. Ontario REALTORS® live and work in the communities they serve, which makes their contributions especially meaningful. Whether acting individually or collectively, REALTORS® reinforce a simple but important idea: community well-being is everyone’s responsibility.
Building Stronger Communities, Together
Arms Burmalag and the Kingston and Area Real Estate Association reminds everyone that meaningful change does not require grand gestures: it requires commitment, collaboration, and heart.
One person can lead. One association can mobilize. Together, they create lasting impact.
At a time when many charities are stretched and needs continue to grow, collective giving is not only valuable, it is essential. Strong communities are not built solely through transactions or infrastructure. They are built through generosity, care, and leadership. And when real estate professionals combine their skills with philanthropy, all of Ontario benefits.
SOURCE ORCF ONTARIO REALTORS® CARE FOUNDATION
To learn more, visit ORCF ONTARIO REALTORS® CARE FOUNDATION
