December 15th 2022
I am so proud of the men and women of RE/MAX Garden City Realty Inc., salespeople, brokers and support staff alike. And of course, our affiliate companies that are always so supportive: Dominion Lending Centres Easy Street Mortgages and Liddiard Law Group. They are always so willing to give. Regardless of the circumstances, when a need arises, they are there.
For decades now they have faithfully supported the Children’s Miracle Network. Many agents faithfully give a small portion of every commission they earn to the Children’s Hospitals serving our area. Over the years they have donated literally hundreds of thousands of dollars to this worthy cause.
Breast cancer is another worthy cause that RE/MAXers faithfully support. Again, in some cases a portion of commissions earned goes directly to Breast Cancer research. And for a number of years giant yard sales were held in the parking lots, first of the Parkway Lanes and Hotel and later at our head office of RE/MAX Garden City Realty here at Lake and Carlton Plaza. A lot of sweat equity. Hours of work. But in the end, again thousands of dollars each year were raised.
Another one of the endeavours that our men and women undertook was the contributing of funds to the St. Catharines General Hospital. Again, thousands of dollars were committed and then allocated for this facility that has blessed so many since.
One endeavour that is very dear to our hearts and is very timely this period of the year is our Caring and Sharing at Christmas. Christmas is such a blessed time of the year. But not for everyone. For many distressed households in Niagara, where putting food on the table is a daily challenge, the added expense of Christmas is just an impossible task.
For years now the men and women of RE/MAX Garden City Realty have embraced this challenge and determined to help as many families and individuals as possible at Christmas time. Beginning in early November they begin to give to the Christmas cause. And I’d like to point out, this is not an exercise where they collect funds. They give every dime out of their own pockets, this year, a total of $11,920 was given for this worthy cause, beating out last year’s total by a slight margin, in spite of the challenging economic realities of the marketplace they themselves face.
Working through a number of charity organizations we are given a wish list of toys for children ranging in age between 2 and 13. Then the shopping begins.
We do this on two fronts, in St. Catharines, Phyllis Gleeson, our retired manager and Maureen McIvor, retired from our sales force, each come out of retirement to become Santa’s little helpers armed with lists and shopping carts. In Grimsby, our lovely support staff Jillian Geddes and Cynthia Kindree, likewise don their Santa hats and hit the toy stores.
Of course, we don’t just limit purchases to toys. Personal need items, stocking stuffers, food and gift cards, all contribute to help make families in need enjoy a meaningful and Merry Christmas.
We can’t help everyone. The need always exceeds the supply. But I’m pleased to say that for years now, and for years ahead, with God’s blessing, we are trying to make a difference.