Good Works

The annual golf tournament held by Royal LePage Binder in Windsor, Ont. was cancelled due to COVID-19, but that didn’t stop the company from organizing an event to raise funds for local shelter Hiatus House.

Along with real estate marketing firm Windsor Real Estate Photography, the brokerage launched the Chip-In Challenge. Participants pledged a donation to Hiatus House, then grabbed a chipping wedge, five golf balls and a target such as a recycle bin, garbage can or cardboard box. Then, participants filmed themselves for social media, attempting to chip as many of the balls into the target as they could. Once finished, they challenged three or more friends to do the same.

“If they match or beat your score, you match their donation up to your original donation amount,” says Royal LePage Binder. “It’s a great opportunity to have fun, connect with friends online in a socially distant way and raise funds for a great local cause.

Frank Binder, broker of record of Royal LePage Binder, kicked off the event with his own chip-in challenge video. “If everyone can chip in a little, we can all help support women and children in our community,” he says. R ayissa Palmer and Sandy Bodnar of Sutton Group Old Mill Realty in Toronto recently supported the arts in an innovative way: driveway dance performances. Several dancers from Kalyna Performing Arts Company, a professional Ukrainian dance company, showed up on Rayissa’s driveway in Caledon, Ont. in full costume (plus masks) to perform for an audience of 60 neighbours, friends and politicians. The troupe gave an encore performance a few streets away for an audience of 25. Attendees donated more than $750 to Kalyna, which normally performs at festivals, concerts and other cultural events.

“We’ve been looking for a way to support the arts, which have been decimated without live performances in these COVID times, so I was thrilled when Kalyna’s director Stefan Kuziw reached out to offer a driveway dance performance,” says Palmer. “Stefan and I are both members of the GTA Ukrainian community (my family immigrated from Ukraine and I’m a first generation Canadian) and he’s also a Realtor (with Royal LePage Real Estate Services in Toronto).”

Kuziw danced professionally for 15 years. His energetic style of Ukrainian dance often has audience members in awe of the highly athletic leaps, kicks and complex routines.

Geoff Atkins, right, picks up his cheque from

Realtors Bob Carnduff and Rachael Gaylard.

Sutton Group - Lakefront Realty in Vernon, B.C. runs a sponsorship program for people who are trying to better themselves and society. The brokerage’s Realtors regularly donate to the sponsorship fund and an award is made quarterly. It welcomes nominations of people from the community.

The most recent recipient was “The Bubble Man”, Geoff Akins.

“Geoff tours North America with his inspirational show using bubbles,” says Tara Sopel, the office manager at Sutton Group - Lakefront Realty. “He starts out basic but progresses into more difficult bubble shapes to show his audience that when he puts his mind to it and with a little patience and persistence, he can make a square bubble! (Yes a square bubble!) The moral of his show is: don’t give up and keep trying!”

During COVID-19, Akins has had to adapt his live show for virtual audiences, but his message remains the same: with determination, a person can accomplish what is seemingly impossible.

Recently he visited the brokerage to collect his sponsorship cheque for $375. As a thank you, he treated the realty team to a spontaneous bubble show. Atkins plans to use the funds to host more virtual shows, which he began experimenting with out of necessity when the pandemic began in March. E very year the Cynthia Ostos Real Estate Team at Cloud Realty in Mississauga, Ont. hosts a Client Appreciation Event for its past clients. This year COVID-19 restrictions limited the team’s options, but “we were still able to safely get everyone together over some ice cream this summer,” says sales rep Adrienne Cowall. The team organized an ice cream truck event in its office parking lot, abiding by COVID-19 protocols and social distancing measures.

“In addition to inviting all past clients, we extended the invite to the extremely friendly elders housed in a seniors residence adjacent to our building, for a dedicated seniors hour,” says Cowall. “Despite a global pandemic that has impacted the way we can socialize, it was a great turnout with so many smiling faces (be it with some masks!), happy tummies and a great time overall.”

The Cynthia Ostos real estate team hosted an ice cream truck event for past clients.