The London and St. Thomas Association of REALTORS® (LSTAR) is celebrating Christmas with donations to its principal beneficiaries:
- $1,000 to Mission Services of London, bringing the total the Association has raised for Mission Services since 1992 to $256,266.46;
- $1,000 to Violence Against Women Services Elgin County, the women's shelter in St. Thomas, bringing that total to $27,009;
- $1,000 to the Women's Community House for a total of $27,578; and
- $1,000 to the Unity Project, for a total of $71,198.
“The holidays are a special time of the year when we gather to celebrate home and family and belonging,” says Jack Lane, LSTAR President. “Homelessness has got to be doubly hard during this season. We only hope that our donations make the Christmases of those people must spend them in a shelter a little brighter.”
This year as last REALTORS® came out in force to man Christmas Kettles for the Salvation Army – 97 REALTORS®, to be precise. “It was a great turnout for a great cause,” says Paula Hodgson, who organized the REALTORS® Man the Kettle Day for the second year in a row.
On December 13, REALTORS® from seven offices in St. Thomas got together to raise $2,065 cash and a shopping cart load of food for Christmas Care in that City. It was the third year in a row the St. Thomas REALTORS® have participated in this drive, which provides Christmas hampers to needy families and individuals. “Last year an estimated 1,400 families registered to receive a Christmas Care hamper,” explains St. Thomas REALTOR® Earl Taylor, who organized the fundraising. “There's a real need out there and we want to be part of the solution.”
The London and St. Thomas Association of REALTORS® (LSTAR) is one of Canada's fifteen largest real estate associations, representing 1,500 REALTORS® working in Middlesex and Elgin Counties, a trading area of 500,000 residents. LSTAR adheres to a Quality of Life philosophy, supporting growth that fosters economic vitality, provides housing opportunities, respects the environment and builds good communities and safe neighbourhoods and is a proud participant in the REALTORS Care Foundation's Every REALTOR® Campaign. As members of the Canadian Real Estate Association, LSTAR members may use the REALTOR® trademark, which identifies them as real estate professionals who subscribe to a strict code of ethics. The Association operates the local Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) and provides ongoing professional education courses for its members. Advertisements of local MLS® property listings and information about the services provided by a REALTOR® can be found at realtor.ca. More information about LSTAR is available on our website.
