Karan Barker was a 25-year employee and former Executive Officer of the REALTORS® Association of Hamilton-Burlington. During her time with the association, Karan was involved in setting up the scholarship program that now bears her name. Karan was active on committees a the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce, the Hamilton-Halton Home Builders’ Association and the Ontario Real Estate Association. Karan received the Tony Kafun Award from OREA and the W. Frank Johns Award from CREA, both presented to the top executive officers in the real estate profession. Karan passed away in 2001.
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Scholarships in the amount of $1,500 were awarded to the following children or grandchildren of RAHB members at the recent Annual Election Meeting. Scholarship Task Force chair Jamie Edwards made the presentations.
Dalton Coles
Dalton the son of Deborah Coles of Royal LePage State. He is a graduate of Sherwood Secondary School and is now a first-year student at Seneca College for Pre-Service Firefighting before he enters the Fire Fighting Technologies program. His dream is to be a fire fighter. He wants to save lives and to make a difference in other people’s lives when they thought it was impossible, and believes fire fighting will help him achieve that goal.
In high school Dalton was involved in many sports activities – volleyball, basketball, football, baseball, rugby, water polo and cross country. He also played in the Repertoire, Jazz and Marching bands and still had time to volunteer at the Festival of Friends, as a coach to the boy’s volleyball team at his elementary school, as a mentor to at risk boys in The Boys Club, as a coach at a volleyball camp, as a mentor to the grades 6,7 and 8 Repertoire Band and at RAHB’s own Charity Auction.
Devon Coles
Devon Coles is Dalton’s identical twin brother and also the son of Deborah Coles. Devon graduated with Honours from Sherwood Secondary School and is now in his second year of the Electrical Engineering Control program at Mohawk College.
Academics were a priority for Devon in high school, and he was rewarded with the Lieutenant Governors award when he graduated. He also received the Sherwood Saints award for his volunteer and athletic achievements in the school and community. Devon played basketball, football, rugby, water polo and badminton. He volunteered as a coach for the boy’s basketball club for “at risk” youth at Huntington Park Elementary school, as a coach and organizer of elementary school children at the Sherwood Saints Volleyball camp and was assistant coach and umpire at Berrisfield Park. Devon also volunteered at the Festival of Friends and the RAHB Charity Auction.
Jacqueline Harber
Jacqueline is the daughter of John Harber of RE/MAX Garden City and one of triplets receiving a Karan Barker Scholarship. She graduated from Blessed Trinity Catholic Secondary School and is now studying in the Bachelor of Arts – Political Science Co-Op program at Brock University. She is unsure at this time whether she will pursue a Masters degree in Legal Studies, attend law school, attend teachers college or pursue a career in the government, where she can use her French.
Jacqueline received many academic awards, including the Town of Grimsby Award for academic achievement and involvement in the school and community; the French Studies Award; Ontario Scholar; Academic Proficiency Award or Principal’s Honour Roll in all four grades of Secondary School, and she placed first and third in the Niagara Catholic French-Italian-Spanish Public Speaking contests in 2011 and 2013 respectively. Jacqueline was also a member of the Pilgrimage Committee, the Thunderstruck Link Crew, her school’s Relay for Life Committee and the school’s band and dance teams.
Leslie Harber
Leslie is also a daughter of John Harber. She graduated from Blessed Trinity Catholic Secondary School and is now attending the University of Waterloo in the Honours Recreation and Leisure Coop program. Her goal is to use her skills learned in the Therapeutic Recreation program to help people on a personal level.
Leslie received a number of academic awards, including Ontario Scholar, Honour Roll in grades 10 and 12 and Special High Skill Major in Health and Wellness. She was active in her school’s annual pilgrimage, and was a member of her school’s softball and basketball teams, the school’s band and dance team. Leslie was also active in the community – she volunteered at the Winona Peach Festival, was a leader at Mountainview Vacation Bible School Summer Camp, led retreats for grade eight confirmation students, helped with various Mississauga and Niagara Parents of Multiple Births association events and helped with community dinners at St. John’s Presbyterian Church.
Rebecca Harber
Rebecca is a daughter of John Harber and the last of the triplets receiving scholarships this year. She too graduated from Blessed Trinity Catholic Secondary School, and is now attending Centennial College to earn her Early Childhood Education diploma. She intends to go on to university to earn her Early Childhood Education degree and then pursue a post-grad certificate in Child Life Specialist.
Rebecca received the Ontario Scholar award, Peer Tutoring and Leadership Award and Specialist High Skills Major in Arts and Culture. She participated in her school’s band, dance team, Rankin Rally and annual pilgrimage. In the community, Rebecca volunteered at the Multiples Club used clothing sales, was mascot at Raptorfest, was camp counselor at Mountainview Vacation Bible School, volunteered in an early learning kindergarten program at St John’s Catholic Elementary School and assisted at the volunteer dinner for Rose Cottage Visiting Volunteers.
Curtis Kelly
Curtis is the son of Robert Kelly of Keller Williams Edge Realty. He is a graduate of Robert Bateman High School and is now attending the University of Guelph in the Honours Major Bio-Medical Science program. His goal is to apply to medical school to study emergency medicine.
Curtis has received numerous academic awards, including Guelph University Scholar Award, Halton Student of Excellence, Award of Excellence of Highest University Grade Average, and Academic Merit – or highest mark awards – in Biology, Chemistry, English, History and Careers and Civics. Curtis was also a Burlington Junior Citizen of the Year finalist. He was involved on his school’s volleyball, track, badminton and curling teams and also coached volleyball. He was on student council for three years, and was a member of the running club, chess club, Reach for the Top team, and participated in his school’s fundraising efforts for Free the Children, Canadian Cancer Society, Lupus Canada, Halton Learning Foundation and Halton Athletics. In the community he participated in the YMCA “Strong Kids” fundraising campaign and volunteered at Joseph Brant Hospital and St. Paul the Apostle Church.
Greg Taylor
Greg is the son of Heather Lindsay of Right at Home Realty Inc. Greg graduated from Highland Secondary School and is now attending the University of Waterloo in the Math/CPA program. He intends to earn his Masters in Accounting and become a CPA.
Greg received the Kirkpatrick Award for overall contribution to school athletics over the four years he was in high school, the Senior Sportsmanship Award and awards for the highest marks in Fitness and Data Management. He was a member of the symphonic and concert bands, the Math Club and participated in Leadership Camp. Greg played Varsity soccer and volleyball, and played on the Frisbee, 3-on-3 basketball, junior hockey and intramural dodge ball teams. Greg volunteered at the Dundas Community Food Drive and Garage Sale, in the Cancer Society Relay for Life and served as a Dundas Minor Hockey Association timekeeper.
Kaitlyn Terrana
Kaitlyn is the daughter of Joe Terrana of Royal LePage State Realty. Kaitlyn graduated from Cardinal Newman Catholic Secondary School and is now attending the University of Western Ontario in the Medical Science program. She hopes to attend medical school to specialize in neuroscience and sleep disorders, and to work with Doctors Without Borders in third world countries.
Kaitlyn was the recipient of the Loreana Cusimano Memorial Perseverance Award and was on the Honour Roll all four years of high school. She participated as a peer mentor in school, and raised money for hospitals, medical foundation and Me-to-We, a program of the Free the Children organization. Kaitlyn also volunteered at the General Hospital and in the Best Buddies program.