The London and St. Thomas Association of REALTORS® (LSTAR) embraced the Christmas spirit and had a very charitable 2007. Through a series of donations, this holiday season, LSTAR has made contributions totaling over $6,000 to a variety of different charities.
The Mission Services of London received $1,000 and, since 1992, the Association has raised $166,730 for this very worthwhile cause.
Elgin County Violence Against Women Services and The Women’s Shelter in St. Thomas also received a $1,000 donation. To date, LSTAR has raised over $23,000 for the shelter.
An additional $1,000 was raised for the Women’s Community House, to which LSTAR has so far raised $23,578.
LSTAR adopted the Unity Project as a principal beneficiary in 2007 and embraced a new initiative to contribute to the well-being of the shelter’s residents: they collect donations of new toiletry items to be delivered to the shelter, and their members are encouraged to bring a donation each time they visit the LSTAR office for education courses or member meetings.Another $1,000 was given to the Unity Project – which provides emergency shelter and transitional housing accommodations to youth and adults age 18 and over, in a safe, secular, home-like setting. The shelter is open and staffed 24 hours every day.
In addition, LSTAR’s Christmas Gala raised $2,200 for the “Home at Last” (HAL) project, a partnership between LSTAR, the London Home Builders Association, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) and the London Affordable Housing Foundation, with financial assistance from the City of London. The mandate for this project is to assist qualified families in achieving homeownership through the collective efforts and expertise of these community partners.
In 2007, LSTAR also donated $16,560 to the Ontario REALTORS Care® Foundation. Local charities that have received donations from the Ontario REALTORS Care® Foundation include The Women’s Shelters in St. Thomas and London, Mission Services of London, the London Area Food Bank, the Unity Project and Community Living London.
