Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, REALTORS® from coast to coast have been supporting their neighbours in need. Sing and Patricia Yeo, Allan Ge, and John Lu, all from Royal Pacific Realty brokerages in the Greater Vancouver area, were quick to identify a need for protective face masks on the frontlines of the crisis. They took advantage of their networks of contacts and were able to secure a total of more than 113,000 masks for hospitals across British Columbia when they were needed the most.
For more than 10 years, Royal Pacific Realty Senior Vice President Sing Yeo and his wife and fellow REALTOR® Patricia Yeo have been deeply involved with the St. Paul’s Foundation, which works to improve the care of patients and residents at St. Paul’s Hospital and other hospitals and residences in British Columbia. As the number of COVID-19 cases was increasing in their community early this year, Sing and Patricia didn’t hesitate to visit St. Paul’s to see what they could do to help.
“We went and saw that they were not wearing masks. The [frontline staff] were not very protected,” shares Sing, who is pictured above. “At the beginning of this difficult time, there was very short supply in Canada.” Following their site visit, Sing and Patricia personally donated 5,000 masks to St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver, as well as hundreds more to a local nursing home.
“Patricia and Sing Yeo are longtime supporters of St. Paul’s Foundation. Their donation of masks to St. Paul’s Hospital at this critical time speaks to their generous nature and tremendous community spirit,” says Dick Vollet, President and CEO of the St. Paul’s Foundation. “We are grateful to have donors like Patricia and Sing step up in such a big way to help ensure our frontline health workers have the resources they need to provide the best care to all British Columbians.”
Since March, Allan Ge, a REALTOR® with Royal Pacific Riverside Realty Ltd., has personally procured an astonishing 90,000 masks and donated them in batches to the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority for distribution within their network of hospitals throughout the province. Allan also distributed a few thousand more to staff at his brokerage, clients, friends and family.
“I was so lucky that I have friends in China who could help me achieve this difficult donation,” Allan shares. “It is all about helping others who indeed need it.”
In April, John Lu, a REALTOR® with Royal Pacific Realty (Kingsway) Ltd., was also motivated to help healthcare workers on the frontlines stay safe, so he donated 18,500 masks to the Provincial Health Services Authority for distribution throughout B.C. as well as some to local daycares.
“I came to Vancouver in 2002 when I was a young teenager in high school and now I have two children,” John explains. “I want to tell [them] how to contribute to society and play a role model to [them].”
With these timely and generous donations, Royal Pacific Realty’s longstanding commitment to social responsibility and giving back to their communities has shone through once again.
