When Chris Dunlop, owner of Royal LePage Estate Realty, expanded to open their downtown Toronto office in 2013, he worked to find a local women’s shelter for his company to support through the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation. Through the foundation, his agents participate in a commission donor program and support fundraisers in the community, and they then direct those funds towards a shelter of their choice. For Chris, it had to be Nellie’s.
“As realtors, we help people find places to live — but a place to live is not a home unless it’s a safe place,” explains Chris. “We’re acutely aware that intimate partner violence and domestic abuse are a significant issue in our community, and that as realtors, we’re committed to helping people have safe spaces to live. We recognize that Nellie’s is an organization that’s committed to helping women and children escape violence and abuse and to establish a new life for themselves where they can find their way back to a home that they can think of as a safe place to live.”
While traditionally his agency’s fundraising has been primarily driven by the agents’ personal fundraisers and campaigns, this year they’re taking on a brand-new initiative as they bring the cause out into the community with their inaugural Night Light Walk. The 3k walk will take place on Thursday, October 24 at Kew Gardens in the Beaches neighbourhood at 7pm. “The Night Light Walk is an opportunity for us to reach out to the community and engage them in joining us in this walk, in joining the dialogue about intimate partner violence and abuse in our community, and in taking action to raise funds to support our local shelters,” says Chris. “We want to show the women and children who have been brave enough to pull themselves out of very difficult situations, that they’re supported and people are thinking about them.”
The Royal LePage Estate Realty team is excited to bring this magical night of light under the stars to our city, in support of both Nellie’s and Red Door Family Shelter. Members of the Nellie’s team will be joining the walk, too, and you can donate or sign up to join our team today!
“As a realtor, I recognize that finding a place to live in the city of Toronto is a very difficult thing for most of us to do, let alone folks who are in the position of leaving everything behind and needing to re-establish themselves,” explains Chris. “The more support that we can provide to a place like Nellie’s, the more Nellie’s can do to support these families in re-establishing themselves in a safe home.”
Thank you to Chris Dunlop and the team at Royal LePage Estate Realty for being such amazing supporters of Nellie’s over the years! You can learn more about the Night Light Walk here.