It’s tough to think of it as just a charity hockey tournament when former longtime Toronto Maple Leafs centre Dan Daoust is lined up against you in the faceoff circle.
That’s the situation Royal LePage Triland REALTOR® Peter Meyer was faced with during the recent Hockey Helps the Homeless ice hockey tournament held in London, Ont., May 7.
A team of REALTORS® from the London St. Thomas Association of Realtors raised more than $5,500 for projects and programs aimed at helping the area’s homeless.
Meyer was one of the players in the tournament and got to play alongside former NHL greats like Daoust, Wayne Primeau, Darryl Shannon and Georges Laraque.
“I won a few of those faceoffs against Daoust,” Meyer boasted, “but more importantly our team raised $5,500 for Hockey Helps the Homeless. That’s a decent amount and it was really from a minimal effort.”
He said most of the money was raised by linking the donation site to their Facebook page. Each player was required to raise a minimum of $350.
“Most of our guys did better than that,” he said.
The Royal LePage Triland team didn’t win it all, but finished a respectable 1-1-1 on the day.
Meanwhile, on the same day of the tournament, other REALTORS® from the office helped organize their annual Royal LePage Shelter Foundation‘s garage sale for women’s shelters as part of a nationwide initiative by the foundation. A combined total of $11,000 from their own garage sales in London and St. Thomas was raised.
Rounding out the incredible month of giving from Royal LePage Triland REALTORS®, more than $6,600 was raised in May for Community Living London and the local Habitat for Humanity chapter.
REALTOR® Rika Orendorff was a part of that team, the Truss-ted Sisters, who helped raise money and prepare a house for its new owners.
“There were 20 women from our office participating and it was a great time,” she said. “We did a lot of painting and cleaning up in preparation for the gentlemen who will be making use of the home.”
Orendorff said it was her first Habitat for Humanity build. Through volunteer labour, efficient management and tax-deductible donations of money and materials, Habitat for Humanity builds and rehabilitates safe, decent and affordable houses for those who need it the most.
She said the group of women had been raising money since January.
