Earlier this year, the Central Zone Committee of the Okanagan Mainline Real Estate Board (OMREB) donated $5,000 to the Kelowna Women’s Shelter – money OMREB raised during the 2011 Christmas season. They didn’t stop there. OMREB asked the Shelter what they needed help with and then REALTORS® got to work, volunteering their time to meet those needs.
First, in April, several REALTORS® brightened up the walls of the Shelter’s Thrift Store with a fresh new coat of paint. The Thrift Store, located on Lawrence Avenue, provides clothing and household necessities free of charge to women and children who have been impacted by family violence.
Next, at the end of May, a group of REALTORS® did some spring cleaning at the Shelter itself. They cleaned from top to bottom, inside and out. They were busy weeding, planting, raking, pruning, cleaning, shovelling sand and gravel, disposing of junk, and repairing children’s bicycles.
The REALTORS® were back at it again in June, setting up a new basketball net and building a gazebo on the property.
“The Shelter yard looks great,” says Kathleen Lemieux, Resource Development Coordinator at the Kelowna Women’s Shelter. “It is such a nice place for our moms to relax and the children to play – thanks to OMREB and Deborah Moore, who leads the group of REALTORS®. Our relationship with OMREB is very special.”
The Kelowna Women’s Shelter offers a safe refuge for women and children faced with family violence. The Shelter provides housing and support, crisis management, child care and counseling for children, as well as community education and outreach programs.
