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ROYAL LePAGE SHELTER FOUNDATION
The Royal LePage Shelter Foundation is Canada’s largest CHARITABLE FOUNDATION
dedicated exclusively to supporting women’s shelters and violence prevention programs
– SHANAN SPENCER-BROWN
Executive Director,
Royal LePage Shelter Foundation
For Royal LePage professionals, the slogan Helping you is what we do™ goes far beyond helping their clients with the dream of homeownership. The slogan resonates deeper as they are keenly aware that a house is only a home when the people who live there feel safe, accepted and loved. Sadly, that’s not the case for the thousands of women and children in Canada who experience domestic violence. That’s why Royal LePage established its own foundation in 1998 – the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation – to harness the collective goodwill of its agents, brokers and staff from across the country.
A recent report by Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer noted that 760,000 Canadians reported experiencing unhealthy spousal conflict or violence in the past five years. “Families are the building blocks of our society and a safe haven to nurture children and our intimate relationships,” said Dr. Gregory Taylor, “Yet, some Canadian families are in crisis and the statistics are staggering.” Every six days, on average, a Canadian woman is killed by her current or former intimate partner – which makes women’s shelters a critical resource for keeping our communities safer.
Royal LePage offices partner with a local women’s shelter to form a strong bond and ensure that services are available to women and children fleeing domestic violence. Through the efforts of Royal LePage agents, brokers and staff, we have raised $24 million and we help over 30,000 women and children each year find safety at a shelter in their community.
Many Royal LePage sales representatives donate a portion of their commissions to the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation when they help their clients buy or sell a home. They also devote countless volunteer hours in support of our foundation and their local women’s shelter through fundraising events such as golf tournaments, comedy nights, silent and live auctions, and gala dinners. “I continue to be impressed by the passion and creativity of our supporters,” said Shanan Spencer-Brown. “In the past year, Royal LePage Realtors® have donned red high heels to take part in men’s Walk a Mile in Her Shoes events; they have hit the pavement for long-distance bike and motorcycle rides; and they tested their endurance with a week-long trek to Machu Picchu, all to raise funds for our country’s women’s shelters.” The foundation’s annual National Garage Sale for Shelter – the largest multi-location, one-day charity garage sale in Canada – will take place on Mother’s Day weekend for the ninth time this year. The event brings Royal LePagers together with the community to help bring safety and hope to abused women and children. Selling gently used “treasures” has raised $2.5 million to date.
Royal LePage – the only national real estate company in Canada with its own charitable foundation – covers all the operating costs of the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation. That means 100 per cent of every dollar raised goes directly to the cause. In addition to supporting women’s shelters, the foundation partners with local and national charities to fund violence prevention programs, including those focused on helping teenagers develop healthy relationships.
At Royal LePage, Helping you is what we do™ . By offering safety and hope to families who have experienced domestic violence and helping instill the importance of healthy relationships in youth, we strengthen our communities, which benefits all.
SHANAN SPENCER-BROWN Executive Director and President of the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation
For more information, visit royallepage.ca/shelter or email shelterfoundation@royallepage.ca. To sponsor a participant in our next fundraising trek, Iceland Challenge for Shelter, visit icelandchallenge.ca.
