{"id":16707,"date":"2017-03-09T15:02:49","date_gmt":"2017-03-09T20:02:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/?p=16707"},"modified":"2017-03-09T15:02:49","modified_gmt":"2017-03-09T20:02:49","slug":"king-philanthropist-in-the-limelight-on-real-housewives-of-toronto","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/king-philanthropist-in-the-limelight-on-real-housewives-of-toronto\/","title":{"rendered":"King philanthropist in the limelight on Real Housewives of Toronto"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Mark Pavilons<\/strong><\/p>\n

Joan Kelley Walker is as real as it gets.
\nThe TV host, spokesperson, model and philanthropist has entered the proverbial lion\u2019s den, as a cast member of The Real Housewives of Toronto.
\nThe show will follow six housewives and will be an \u201cintimate look at the luxurious lives of the city\u2019s wealthiest women, from their extravagant day-to-day escapades in Toronto to grandiose getaways to their exclusive colossal cottages in Muskoka \u2013 Ontario\u2019s playground for the rich and famous.\u201d
\nThe cast of the 10-part series consists of Walker, Kara Alloway, Roxy Earle, Gregoriane (Grego) Minot, Ann Kaplan Mulholland and Jana Webb.
\nIn terms of \u201creality,\u201d\u2008you\u2019ll see the real Joan, 100%. She said she\u2019s come away from this experience very proud of the fact she\u2019s been herself all the way.
\nSince the show features very strong, assertive women, there are bound to be conflicts and resolutions. Each woman has her own vision of how things should be.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s life, and it\u2019s true to the dynamic,\u201d\u2008Walker said.
\nShe\u2019s really excited to see the first episode, which she promises will \u201cknock your socks off,\u201d\u2008so \u201cbrace yourself!\u201d
\nThe show is \u201creally interesting\u201d\u2008on a lot of levels. Walker admitted it was an \u201cincredible experience\u201d\u2008and the show was a great extension of her work. The personal challenge was for her to be her best.
\nWalker and her husband Don, CEO of Aurora-based Magna International, are passionate philanthropists. Don was named Canada\u2019s Outstanding CEO\u2008of the Year for 2014. The Walkers have multiple luxury properties including a sprawling compound in King City, a chic downtown condo, and vacation homes in both Colorado and Miami. However, their large cottage compound in Muskoka is what draws the most attention.
\nJoan has been involved in humanitarian work for the past 18 years and most recently visited Cambodia, via World Vision\u2019s \u201cStarting Strong\u201d program that protects children from life-long stunting and premature death. The program focusses on the health of mothers during pregnancy and newborn health and nutrition.
\nThis time she brought her teenage children along and was so thrilled they were able to get a glimpse into the plight of others in developing nations.
\n\u201cI\u2008feel very blessed to be Canadian,\u201d\u2008she said. \u201c… to be in my situation, giving back is a huge priority for me.\u201d
\nShe finds that it\u2019s vital to visit the countries and meet the people behind the causes and issues. For those who give to charities, it\u2019s important to see just where the money goes and how to get the best bang for your buck.
\nThe World Vision ambassador and advocate has received the Mother Teresa Award from Athol Murray College of Notre Dame and a Queen\u2019s Diamond Jubilee Medal as well as World Vision\u2019s highest award \u2013 \u201cHeroes for Children-Power of Generosity Award.\u201d
\nAs a World Vision spokesperson, Joan Kelley has emceed panel discussions at the U of T, featuring international experts on HIV AIDS. She organizes and hosts fundraisers.
\nJoan Kelley has served as Chair of the United Way of York Region\u2019s Women\u2019s Leadership Counsel. She volunteers locally with Neighborhood Network and has served on Committee for \u201cRight to Play.\u201d
\nWalker is more than happy to spark up a conversation about her humanitarian work, and she was able to help promote it on Real Housewives of Toronto.
\nJoan Kelley\u2019s diverse career and humanitarian work have given her a unique perspective. It makes her who she is.
\nShe just who she is, and catch a glimpse of Toronto\u2019s elite, on The Real Housewives of Toronto.
\nThe Real Housewives of Toronto airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on Slice.<\/p>\n\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"mail\"<\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Joan Kelley Walker is as real as it gets.
\nThe TV host, spokesperson, model and philanthropist has …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16707","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general_news","category-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3D2k4-4lt","publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-24 14:20:33","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16707","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16707"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16707\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16707"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16707"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16707"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}