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Created to honour the human side of real estate, the new monthly award recognizes agents whose impact reaches well beyond the transaction.
Barrie, ONT. – April 2026 – Some careers are built around ambition. Others are built around experience, responsibility, and the things a person carries with them long after the workday ends.
For Maniva Armstrong of Coldwell Banker The Real Estate Centre, Brokerage in Barrie, Ontario, real estate has become an extension of something deeply personal. What she has built through her business is not separate from her life, but shaped by it, informed by it, and grounded in a commitment to support families navigating autism in her community. It is that work that has led Coldwell Banker Canada to name her the first recipient of the Extraordinary Impact Award, a new monthly national recognition created to honour agents whose contribution extends beyond the transaction.
This work is rooted in Maniva’s own experience as a mother. Her son was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder at the age of three, and that reality has shaped much of what came after. After 25 years in law enforcement, she entered real estate in January 2023 with a clear sense of what she wanted her next chapter to look like: a business that could support her family, reflect her values, and make a meaningful difference for other families living with autism.
That purpose is now woven directly into her business. Through an ongoing partnership with Autism Ontario, Maniva donates $200 from every completed real estate transaction to support families in Simcoe County and York Region. She also reduces her commission by 0.5% for autism families, understanding first-hand how costly services, therapies, and support systems can be. Over time, those commitments have become part of the foundation of her business and a clear reflection of how she serves clients and defines success in this chapter of her life.
In just over two years, Maniva has raised nearly $2,300 for Autism Ontario through her real estate business, helping support summer and March break camps, respite care, and inclusive local events. She is currently on track to raise another $2,000 this year through transactions, with the hope of generating an additional $1,000 through a golf fundraiser now in development.
Her involvement, however, goes much further than fundraising.
In January 2026, she began training for a volunteer role in Barrie and now contributes to local fundraising efforts, including bingo events that help generate community support. She also uses her platform to share resources, highlight local service providers, and connect families to programs that may help make daily life a little easier. Over time, her business has grown into a point of connection for families looking for understanding, information, and support, alongside the work she does with buyers and sellers.
When asked what advice she would offer to other agents looking to get more involved in their communities, Maniva doesn’t overcomplicate it: “Find something that means a lot to you and build around that.”
The impact of Maniva’s work can be seen in the funds she has raised, the time she has given, and the care she has built into her business from the beginning. Her approach to real estate is shaped by something deeply personal, and that has led to a model of service that feels generous, thoughtful, and rooted in community. The kind of impact she is creating is built over time, through consistency, intention, and a genuine commitment to making life a little easier for other families.
As part of this recognition, Coldwell Banker Canada is making a $1,000 donation in Maniva’s name to Autism Ontario Central East, supporting a cause that has become inseparable from both her professional life and her community presence.
The Extraordinary Impact Award was created to honour agents whose contributions cannot be measured by sales alone. Maniva Armstrong’s story is a reminder that some of the most meaningful work in this business happens outside the spotlight, in the decisions people make about how they want to show up, what they want to stand for, and who they help along the way.
For those interested in contributing, donations can be made directly to Autism Ontario through Maniva’s personal fundraising page https://www.autismontario.com/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=46
