Tim Collins/Victoria News
Realtors do more than simply help clients purchase and sell homes. They also reach out into the community to help.
A Greater Victoria charity group called 100 Real Estate Agents Who Care was out this week demonstrating their commitment to community, through a series of donations to worthy local causes in and around Victoria.
The first two went to Glengarry Hospital, a seniors care facility in Fairfield specializing in compassionate end-of-life care; and the Greater Victoria Eldercare Foundation, a registered charity that raises and manages funds to support an enhanced quality of life for older adults.
The two donations of $4,100 each were presented at Glengarry, where Eldercare Foundation executive director Lori McLeod gratefully accepted the funds from Tara Hearn, representing 100 Real Estate Agents Who Care.
“These donations are so important to our work,” said McLeod. “The money will be used to enhance visiting areas so families can spend that time with loved ones at the end of life. And when it’s not being used for that purpose, it will be used as a lounge area for residents, a calm place to ease the sometimes agitated residents, particularly those with dementia.”
It’s important that society in general supports its aging members, she added. “They are the people who made our world so wonderful, and we need to support them at the end of their lives.”
Hearn’s work wasn’t done with the delivery of funds to the two Victoria-based facilities. Two more donations; $4,100 to Our Place on Pandora Avenue, and $5,100 to Habitat for Humanity in Saanich, were delivered on the same day.
“We got a little behind in delivering our donations,” chuckled Hearn. “So we decided to make a day of it and deliver all four cheques on the same day.”
In 2014, Hearn and fellow Victoria real estate agent Jane Johnston conceived a charity in which real estate agents from across the Capital Region band together to give back to the community. They weren’t certain at first whether the idea would be successful.
The idea was simple enough; a group of Realtors would meet four times a year to select a charity to support. The selection would be made through a process that saw members nominate worthy causes and speak on behalf of that charity. The group then voted and the winning charities received a $100 donation from each of the member agents.
Almost three years later, the group is going strong and has delivered more than $40,000 to local charities, including the Laren Society, Artemis Place, Anawim House, the 1000×5 book recycling program and the Citadel Canine Society.
“We have 41 members right now, but I would challenge more real estate agents in Victoria to join our group and help us demonstrate the spirit of generosity I know exists in the industry,” said Hearn.
She suggested that people choosing a real estate agent might ask whether that person is a member of the 100 Real Estate Agents Who Care, or alternatively, what charities the agent supports in the community.
More information on the group can be found on their Facebook page at facebook.com/100realtors whocarevictoria.
