REALTORS® across Canada are committed to volunteering their time and supporting charities and causes close to their hearts. Generosity has become a hallmark of the REALTOR® community. It’s one of the reasons I’m proud to be a REALTOR®.
Did you know the Canadian REALTOR® community has reported giving over $71.6 million to charity from 2012-2014? Together, we are truly making a difference.
To mark #GivingTuesday, I’d like to share with you five of my favourite stories of REALTORS® giving back this year.
- I have to start with a story shared by my office, Century 21 Bachman & Associates. My colleagues and I have been proud long-time supporters of SMD Foundation/Easter Seals Manitoba. Over the past three years, we have raised over $70,000 to help this great family of organizations improve the lives of persons with disabilities in our province.
- This past April, for the 10th year in a row, members of the Manitoba Real Estate Association served Easter dinner at Siloam Mission in my hometown of Winnipeg. This is a wonderful tradition that serves hundreds of people in need each year.
- As a hockey fan (go Jets!), I appreciate the concept behind the Vancouver Island Real Estate Board’s 4th Annual Charity Hockey Game. This year, local REALTORS® put their passion for Canada’s game to good use and raised $5,100 for Nanaimo Community Hospice.
- In August, REALTORS® from four brokerages came together for a friendly softball tournament in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. As a result, they raised over $1,000, which was divided among their four local charities of choice. I always love to hear about REALTORS® working together beyond company lines to make a difference for their shared community.
- Members of the Kitchener-Waterloo Association of REALTORS® donned hard hats and steel-toe boots to participate in not one, not two, but three Habitat for Humanity builds this year. In addition, they presented a cheque for over $20,500 to go towards the sponsorship of a Habitat home. (They also did a fantastic job helping us with the big reveal of our 2012-2014 donation and fundraising total.)
These five stories and 170 more from coast to coast have been published on REALTORSCare.ca so far this year. If your giving-back story hasn’t been featured on our site yet, I encourage you to email the details and a photo or two to us so we can spread the news on a national level.
I know some of you will be thinking, “But I don’t give back for attention or praise.” It’s true, telling your story will bring you some attention; but more importantly it will raise awareness for your favourite charity or cause and it will possibly inspire others to follow your lead!
