When Kendra Watt’s dog, Osa, passed away two years ago, the Royal LePage Integrity REALTOR® wanted to capture the passion she had for her dog and turn it into something beneficial to her community.
Kendra and her friend, Kari, decided to organize a night-out fundraiser with all the proceeds going to Alberta’s Cochrane & Area Humane Society in memory of Osa.
Over one weekend at the end of April, $16,000 was raised for the animal shelter, an increase of $1,000 compared to last year’s total.
“My parents raised us to always be involved and give back to your community, so I’ve always understood the importance of community involvement,” Kendra said.
Growing up on the family farm in Manitoba, it wasn’t uncommon to find young Kendra wandering around with a cat or chicken under her arm, or exploring the world on a horse.
“My parents, grandparents and great-grandparents grew and raised everything that went on our dinner table and I was taught to love and respect the land and the animals for what they provide,” she said.
The Cochrane & Area Humane Society is a “well-run and well-respected” charity, Kendra said, adding that’s why it’s easy to support them.
“It relies on community support but it goes beyond geography,” she said. “They will offer help to any other animal welfare organization in any way they can, the bottom line being the welfare of all animals.”
She said being a successful REALTOR® in a town of 25,000 people made organizing the dinner easier.
“I have a long reach and am well connected so I feel I should be using my connections to benefit a worthy cause,” she said.
On top of organizing this fundraiser, Kendra created the Outreach Support for Animals program, or OSA – a fitting tribute to her beloved dog. The goal is to offer free spay and neuter clinics in Central America to help reduce the population of stray animals. In order to do that, she partnered with a Costa Rica real estate company to help finance that initiative.
