The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) is proud to honour Lorna Hamm with the Canadian REALTORS Care® Award 2022 Proudly Presented by REALTOR.ca for her remarkable commitment to her community of Calgary, Alberta.
Hamm, a REALTOR® with RE/MAX Realty Professionals, has been giving back to Calgary charities for more than 50 years. She also makes a point to give back to the REALTOR® profession and is the 2021 Chair of the Calgary Real Estate Board.
While she has been involved with countless local charities, her passion is supporting organizations focused on children’s health and well-being.
Her proudest achievement came through her work with the Children’s Cottage Society. In the 1980s, Hamm helped establish the Children’s Cottage Society’s Crisis Nursery, the first of its kind in Canada. The Crisis Nursery provides short-term refuge for children when a family is in distress, ensuring kids are safe from neglect or harm.
Less than a decade later, the Calgary Home Builders’ Association was looking to take on a charitable project. When asked, Hamm jumped at the opportunity to provide the Children’s Cottage Society with a bigger and better Crisis Nursery.
In 1994, the current Crisis Nursery opened its doors, something that would not have happened without Lorna Hamm’s advocacy. To date, the Crisis Nursery has helped more than 40,000 children in Calgary.
While she has always been active with hands-on volunteering, Hamm’s greatest contributions have come in the form of game-changing fundraising, with much of it directed to children’s organizations.
Over her two-year stint as Chair of the Children’s Hospital Aid Society (CHAS) charity golf tournament committee, more than $500,000 was raised to fund life-altering treatment at the Alberta Children’s Hospital.
“She has taken on many leadership roles,” shared fellow CHAS member Toshimi Sembo. “Raised money for the children’s hospital, including arthroscopic equipment, the LITT thermal therapy program for people with epilepsy, the brain interface program for intelligent but non-verbal children, the list goes on.”
During the pandemic, Hamm led a grassroots effort to thank local ICU nurses and staff for their tireless work. With a goal of thanking 100 staff members, Lorna Hamm and friends began reaching out to their vast network of contacts to solicit donations so they could put together small “thank you” packages. In the end, they exceeded their goal and were able to show their appreciation to more than 600 hard-working medical professionals on the frontlines of COVID at two local hospitals.
“Lorna, I think, is an influencer,” explained Sembo. “She, through her actions, her energetic personality, and her genuine desire to help people, has influenced a lot of people in the city. So, when Lorna calls and asks for donations, people know that it is for a good cause, and they see that she’s genuinely wanting to support that organization and they get behind her.”
While humble, Hamm takes great pride in the long-term impact she’s made on the city of Calgary. “I just feel like a little part of my heart is in all of these projects, and if I’m driving around the city and I see one of the buildings or one of the services in action I feel very proud to know that I played a role.”
In Lorna Hamm’s honour, CREA has donated $5,000 to the Children’s Hospital Aid Society. Click here to see the 47 REALTORS® nominated for the Canadian REALTORS Care® Award 2022.
