Now that is a royal gala!
Royal LePage South Country Real Estate Services went above and beyond expectations at their 19th annual gala fundraising event for the YWCA Harbour House in Lethbridge, Alberta.
The November event had 350 people and an equal amount of silent auction items to bid on, resulting in a record-breaking $64,760 raised to support the community women’s shelter.
“This donation will have a tremendous impact and really, really make a difference locally,” said Kelly Mettler, the YWCA partnerships manager. “Although we are funded provincially, there’s such a large amount of money leftover that needs to be fundraised.”
Thank you to everyone who attended and supported the 2016 Royal Gala! If you have any auction items to collect,… https://t.co/kvUCkY0u9f
— YWCA Lethbridge (@YWCALethbridge) November 3, 2016
Every year, the YWCA has to raise $490,000 to continue the Harbour House program.
And demand isn’t going away anytime soon.
“We are full year-round. We actually had to turn away over 2,000 people (at the shelter),” Mettler said.
The 24-hour crisis centre has 24 beds, so the Harbour House is constantly in use. Money raised from the gala goes toward operating costs, staff training, counselling support services, and supplies.
The Harbour House program helps victims of domestic violence, as well as women and children who are identified as at risk for domestic violence.
“Some of these women come to us with almost nothing, maybe just a purse or a handbag. We will provide them with personal items while also offering support anyway we can, even if it’s arranging legal counsel,” Mettler said.
Over the 19 years Royal LePage South Country Real Estate Services has been holding the gala, nearly $700,000 has been raised for Harbour House.
Special thanks to the Royal Gala committee: Manson Kelly (Chair), Brent Oleksy (Broker), Ally Keith, Rebecca Munro, Leslie Hatfield, Sarah Ball and John Guliker.
