The Royal LePage Shelter Foundation’s Night Light Walk serves as a reminder that home should be a safe place for everyone. Held on October 24, 2024, the event saw 1,575 participants across Canada, raising $315,000 while illuminating the urgent need for women’s shelters and domestic violence prevention.
This national effort saw 10 communities, Victoria, North Vancouver, Grand Prairie, Ottawa, Belleville, Toronto, Burlington, London, Windsor and Halifax, plan Night Light Walks. For Royal LePage REALTORS®, professionals and supporters, this campaign, now in its second year, is a welcome opportunity to shine a light on the organizations supporting those suffering from intimate partner violence in their communities.
Each Night Light Walk is traditionally three kilometres, and participants make sure they stand out. Some wore red beanies to highlight the cause, others brought family dogs and children along, lighting the night by carrying flashlights and glowing light sticks.
Beneficiaries primarily included local shelters and transitional housing. These accommodations and services help women and their families make the transition away from trauma and toward building new lives.
“Most shelters and services are so small and strapped for funding that they would have a real challenge mounting such a national effort,” said Lisa Gibbs, Executive Director of the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation who participated in the Victoria, B.C. walk.
“We are in an epidemic with intimate partner violence. This funding helps women to get accommodations, jobs, get their children into schools during a very upsetting time in their lives, deal with other challenges and move on.”
The Royal LePage Shelter Foundation is the largest non-governmental funder of shelters in Canada. The foundation has raised more than $46 million since its inception and has supported more than 200 local women’s shelters and more than 50,000 women and children.
On any given day, 3,000 women and their children are living in an emergency shelter to escape family violence (Family Violence Canada). Half of all women in Canada have experienced at least one incident of physical or sexual violence, says The Violence Against Women Survey, StatsCan.
Phil Soper, president and CEO, Royal LePage, says: “This new national event is about raising hope as well as funds, and each light that we carry symbolizes our stand against abuse and our dedication to supporting women and children in distress.”
Windsor walk raises largest tally
In Windsor, Frank Binder, Broker and Owner of Record at Royal LePage Binder Real Estate, and Jenna Chase, Marketing Director, say they were overwhelmed with the community’s response to the walk.
“People reacted so quickly to come out and help,” said Chase. The Windsor Walk raised $58,848, which was the highest total of any of the local walks this year. It drew 238 participants to the Olde Walkerville historic neighbourhood in the city.
For Binder, the walk was personal. A family member had experienced such violence years ago and at the time, he did what he could. Money raised goes to Hiatus House in Windsor, which offers programs and services for women who have experienced gender-based violence.
“We have a great working relationship with Hiatus House and they threw themselves into this cause with us,” said Binder.
Victoria REALTORS® walk in step with community
For the Victoria, B.C. walk, Sean Burns, Owner of Royal LePage Coast Capital Realty, and April Grout, Manager, Growth and Retention, said being part of the five communities in the country who had taken part in the inaugural walk last year helped them build on the event.
“We are eager to shine a light on this important issue that impacts so many local people and to help us come together as a community,” said Burns. “Housing and the concept of shelter are tied directly to what we do as professionals.”
This year, about 250 people participated in the Victoria event to raise $31,400, compared to 125 people last year. Money raised went to the Cridge Centre for the Family, which provides support to women and children as well as other programs.
“We knew we were walking step-by-step on the walk with women who have used the services available, and it was so good to know the funds we’re raising are having a real impact,” said Grout.
Kindnesses and hope on display at Halifax walk
At Royal LePage Atlantic, REALTORS® Marc Doucet and Laura Croft spearheaded their event, raising $15,152 for Alice House in Halifax and drawing about 250 people to Grahams Grove Park in Dartmouth.
“Over the years some of our agents, very successful people, have talked about their own struggles and that is an eye-opener showing there is no stereotype for intimate partner violence,” said Doucet. “Having a culture where people can share their stories is so important.”
Real estate offices throughout Nova Scotia and New Brunswick have already reached out to see if they can participate in next year’s walk.
Croft said small acts of kindnesses brightened the walk and point towards hope. “A man asked what the walk is for and when we told him, he pulled out his wallet and offered a $20 bill,” she said. “A moment like this shows the community understands and I’ll remember it forever.”
