by Shawn Lackie
Ever wonder what Realtors do to give back to the community they work in? You'd be surprised at the lengths they go to make a huge difference. My brokerage, Our Neighbourhood Realty (ONR), has a number of programs to give back. One of the biggest is the Pantry Bag Initiative, where we create care packages for families in need.
ONR Believes a strong community is built on kindness, support and care. Over the past five years our amazing team has been working hard to make a difference in the lives of families right here in our neighbourhood. Through this annual program, we have been able to provide non-perishable food to those in need during the holiday season. Thanks to our agents' and volunteers' generosity and compassion, we have distributed between 115 and 250 Pantry Bags each year to local families, single mothers, schools, churches and more. These bags are filled with essentials, ensuring families can have a little extra help during the holidays. A lot of the credit for this program should go to Tracy Donnelly coordinating our amazing Pantry Elves.
In Port Perry there are brokerages which help out locally. The Puckrin/Latreille group at Re/Max on Queen Street have been extremely active in the community for years. Over the last few decades, they have donated/sponsored over $36,000 dollars in local activities. These include Operation Scugog, Port Perry Hospital Foundation, Oak Ridges Hospice, Ross Memorial Hospital Foundation and Big Brother & Sisters of North Durham. They also sponsor many community events such as Public Skating, Movie in the Park, Paper Shred Event, Operation Scugog, Special Santa Days-treat and goodies while seeing Santa, Seagrave Yard sale in support of Seagrave United Church and, of course, the annual Port Perry Fair. They also actively sponsor many local initiatives like Port Perry Minor Ball, North Durham United Soccer, Lindsay Lynx Girls Hockey, Uxbridge Swim Club, Alpha Cheer and Tumbling and the local Junior club Port Perry LumberJacks. There is no shortage of giving back to the community for this group. That is an impressive list, indeed.
The fine folks at Right At Home Realty on Queen Street have also been extremely active in community relations. Check out their list of goings on. Donate to Oak Ridges Hospice, over $10,000 raised in the last two years, Spring Art Auction supporting and promoting local artists, raised over $8,000 the last two years (over 50+ local artists participate), Chuck A Puck contest at Hockey Night in Port Perry, raised $2,400 last year, Fill A Purse For A Sister Sponsor, Toy Mountain Drop Off, Habitat for Humanity, they Participate on builds of Oshawa homes and Donate money from every transaction, Host Santa at the office (yearly) for the community, photos and goodies to enjoy before the Port Perry Santa Claus parade, Sponsor, promote and participate in the Walk for Dog Guides, Promote and Support local businesses for Moonlight Madness (Willowtree Farms and Slabtown bring samples and sell product from the office), Participate in the Hike for Hospice, Backpacks for Homeless Drop Off, Community Care Volunteers, Participate in Community events like the Street Party where they had a 'Hole in One' golf putting contest and the office has Certified Training from the Alzheimer's Society.
Whew—just thinking about all this leaves me breathless. As you can see, these people do more than give back to the community. They should be proud of their accomplishments. They make a difference every day in the community, and it shows.
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