A non-profit aimed at helping women and children who have experienced family violence received a helping hand from New Brunswick REALTORS®.
At the New Brunswick Real Estate Association’s (NBREA) annual general meeting, a whopping $11,000 was raised for Liberty Lane in Fredericton.
It was NBREA’s first official REALTORS Care® charity drive at an annual general meeting, and with nearly 40% of the province’s members in attendance, auction items and 50/50 tickets were selling fast.
“We had over 150 donated items, including some really neat things like a signed guitar, beautiful paintings and Toronto Blue Jays packages,” said NBREA CEO Jamie Ryan. “REALTORS® are one of the most giving people in this country. They really exceeded our expectations and rose to the occasion.”
Last year, a last-minute decision to include a charity drive into the annual general meeting yielded $2,500 for a food bank in Sussex. This was in response to PotashCorp suddenly closing its Picadilly mine operation, leaving 430 people without jobs.
“The Saint John Real Estate Board said we could help a food bank there, so we just did it,” Ryan said, adding this year’s charity of choice was chosen by the Real Estate Board of Fredericton Area.
The 50/50 jackpot reached well over $1,000 at this year’s event, and CREA’s Regional Director for the Atlantic Region Roy Milley ended up with the lucky ticket. Instead of taking the jackpot, he donated his winnings back to Liberty Lane.
“He also came in way above the appraised value for one of the table top auction items, so that was wonderful,” Ryan said.
He said they are hoping to continue the giving trend at next year’s annual general meeting.
