The Lakelands Association of REALTORS® (The Lakelands) continued its ongoing tradition of supporting local charities by contributing monthly to the Ontario REALTORS Care® Foundation.
The Ontario REALTORS Care® Foundation acts on behalf of Ontario REALTORS® in funding shelter-related charities across the province. Shelter is defined as a refuge, haven, or protection that provides or improves quality of life from hunger, the elements, physical/psychological abuse, disabilities, and illness.
Local charities are especially stretched due to the impacts of the pandemic, therefore The Lakelands, on behalf of their REALTOR® members, are pleased to provide support on an ongoing basis. It’s worth noting that the grants provided by the Ontario REALTORS® Care Foundation in 2021 reflect the contributions made by REALTORS® before The Lakelands and the Southern Georgian Bay Association of REALTORS® (SGBAR) merged in October 2021.
With that said, the former Lakelands has presented cheques in the amount of $5,341 to each of the following eligible 2021 recipients:
- Hospice Muskoka in Port Carling: providing compassionate support to individuals and their loved ones of all ages and backgrounds, who are coping with end-of-life issues and bereavement.
- Mariposa House Hospice in Severn: dedicated hospice team offers 24-hour specialized end-of-life palliative care in a peaceful, home-like setting while welcoming and supporting family and friends.
- Parry Sound Native Friendship Centre in Parry Sound: mandated to serve the needs of urban Indigenous people by providing culturally appropriate services in urban communities.
- YWCA H.E.R.S- Haliburton Emergency Rural Safe Space in Minden: providing a unique safe space within Haliburton County so women and their children can move away from the abusive situation in their home, without leaving their support systems, jobs and schools, families, and friends behind.
And former SGBAR has presented cheques in the amount of $2,486 to each of the following eligible 2021 recipients:
- My Friend’s House in Collingwood: A safe haven for abused women and their children.
- Home Horizon in Collingwood: bridging the critical gap between emergency shelter and independent living – to transform the lives of youth at risk of homelessness by providing them with the opportunity to rebuild their lives and achieve their full potential.
- Shelter Now in Midland: works to empower individuals and families experiencing homelessness to improve the quality of their lives through individualized support and transitional housing.
- Huronia Transition Homes, The Rosewood Shelter in Midland: committed to education and advocacy as a means to end violence, and provide shelter, counselling and support to women identified individuals and their children who have experienced abuse.
The now merged association will continue with this ongoing tradition and commitment to help those in need in our communities.