Two local agencies were the big winners today when London and St. Thomas Association of REALTORS® President Jack Lane announced the successful applicants for the REALTORS Care Foundation's 2011 round of grants: the YWCA Elgin St. Thomas and the Women's Rural Resource Centre Strathroy and Area. Sherene Casey, President, Marla Champion, Executive Director, and Erin Woolley, Fund Development and Communications Coordinator, were on hand to represent the YWCA Elgin St. Thomas, while Senior Development Officer Donna Pammer represented the Resource Centre.
“The Foundation acts on behalf of Ontario REALTORS® in funding shelter related charities across the province,” explains Lane. “Since 1999, we have given more than $2.5 million in grants to eligible organizations across the province. We're very proud of the great work our Foundation does. It's one of the ways we can give back to our community . . . that we can improve our area's quality of life. Occasions like this, when we can help committed agencies and organizations like the YWCA and the Resource Centre reach their goals, are very gratifying, particularly in this holiday season.”
The YWCA's grant will be used to fund two youth homes – Fair Winds for young men and Harmony House for young women, both of which service youths between the ages of sixteen and twenty four at risk for homelessness, providing them with supports and much needed life skills training.
The grant to the Women's Rural Resource Centre will assist it to provide not only emergency housing to abused women and children, but also counseling, life skills training and supports, intended to help clients to break the cycle of abuse and go on to live meaningful and productive lives without fear and provide a safe and nurturing environment for their children.
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.
