Earlier last month, the Canadian REALTORS Care® Foundation bestowed a final donation of $75,000 on the Canadian Red Cross, helping to cement its legacy of supporting victims of natural disasters on behalf of the REALTOR® community.
“Our foundation is proud to give our remaining funds to the Canadian Red Cross,” says Ralph Fyfe, Chair of the Canadian REALTORS Care® Foundation. “We know they can be trusted to respond quickly to disasters and emergencies in communities across Canada and around the world.”
The Canadian REALTORS Care® Foundation was founded in 2007 to provide a resource to real estate boards and associations to assist them with their philanthropic efforts. Since its establishment, it has been supported financially and administratively by the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA).
One of the foundation’s primary functions for the past decade has been fundraising in response to significant disasters on behalf of the REALTOR® community. The foundation raised over $1 million for the Canadian Red Cross in response to various disasters, including the tsunami in Japan in 2011, flooding in Calgary in 2013, and wildfires in Fort McMurray in 2016 and British Columbia in 2017.
“We have been so fortunate to have received the ongoing support of the REALTOR® community. When help is needed most, we know we can count on you. Today’s gift lets us say ‘yes’ to people in need. Yes – to a family that needs help after they’ve lost their home. Yes – to helping a community rebuild after a disaster. On behalf of the Red Cross, thank you for all you have done and continue to do, to strengthen and support communities across the country,” says Ronan Ryan, Chief Development Officer, Canadian Red Cross.
After 10 years in operation, the direction of national REALTORS Care® initiatives is being handed over to a CREA board committee.
“The foundation was created in part so we REALTORS® could band together and help those affected by natural disasters,” explains Fyfe. “While the REALTOR® community’s dedication to helping victims of natural disasters hasn’t changed one bit over the past 10 years, the technology we can use to raise funds and awareness has come a long way. That’s why our Board of Directors recently decided to dissolve the foundation. We no longer need to have our own registered charity to fundraise effectively for others. We can be more efficient and avoid unnecessary legal and administrative costs while still making a significant impact.”
CREA will continue to launch national fundraising campaigns in response to significant disasters, encouraging donations via special REALTORS Care® online donation pages, which will enable the beneficiary charities to receive the funds directly.
