LSTAR held its 2013 Annual General Meeting on April 22, 2014, at the London Convention Centre. Representing the Canadian Real Estate Association were that Association's Past President, Laura Leyser, and Mike Carson, Director-at-Large and a Past President of LSTAR. Representing the Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA) were its President (and LSTAR Past President) Costa Poulopoulos and Western Area Director Anna Vozza. The Windsor-Essex County Association of REALTORS® was represented by its President, Bill Courtney, while the Ontario REALTORS Care Foundation was represented by Barb Whitney, also an LSTAR Past President. The Real Estate Council of Ontario was represented by Tom Wright, President/CEO, Bruce Matthews, Deputy Registrar, and RECO Director Peter Hoffman, another LSTAR Past President. CMHC was represented by Judy Binder.
Other special guests included London Mayor Joe Fontana and Alderman Tom Johnston of the City of St. Thomas, Paul King, Ford Keast, Chartered Accountant, the London Home Builders Association's President, Ted Melchers, and its Executive Officer, Lois Langdon. Joel Shears and Armand Chipean represented Millennium Real Estate Solutions.
The Lyn Coupland Outstanding Service Award, which recognizes an individual who has gone above and beyond the call of duty in the service of the Association, was awarded to 2013 LSTAR President Doug Pedlar for his ongoing efforts to educate and inform REALTORS® and the public regarding industrial wind turbines.
LSTAR's Quality of Life Award, intended to recognize and honor an individual's outstanding contributions to the community in accordance with one or more of the five Quality of Life Principles espoused by LSTAR – ensuring economic vitality, providing housing opportunities, preserving our environment, protecting home owners and building better communities - was presented to REALTOR® Paula Hodgson for her organization of a REALTOR® Salvation Army Christmas Kettle Day over the past four years and Murray Mugford, for prompt and courageous action in alerting first responders to a house fire and then assisting in the evacuation of the premises.
LSTAR Bonspiel Committee Chair Glen Gordon was on hand to present Mission Services of London's Director of Fundraising, Ericka Ayala Ronson, with a cheque for $11,826, representing the funds raised by this year's Bonspiel and LSTAR's Home for Hope pins. This donation raises the total that LSTAR has donated to Mission Services since 1992 to $295,512.
Finally, 2013 Christmas Gala Co-Chair Andrew Wilkie presented Shelley Baker, President of the Board of Merrymount Family Crisis and Support Centre, and Ailene Wittstein, its Executive Director, with a cheque for $24,646.36. This amount, raised by the 2013 Gala, is enough to fund one crisis bed for one child for a year.
