The Durham Region Association of Realtors raised more than $42,000 for local charities in Durham Region in 2021. DRAR’s 2021 Charities of Choice were Back Door Mission for the Relief of Poverty and Bereaved Families of Ontario – Durham.
DRAR members contributed $10,071 through the Ontario Realtors Care Foundation – Every Realtor Cares Campaign in addition to over $8,400 from the 2021 ORCF grant program.
Contributions from the board’s annual Charity Auction and individual and broker challenge events added over $11,600 to the total. “This is one of our signature fund-raising events and we are absolutely thrilled at the generosity of our members,” says 2021 Charity Auction task force chair and president-elect Vicki Sweeney.
In late November, the board donated more than 100 pairs of gloves and mittens to Back Door Mission’s outreach program thanks to a $1,000 grant from the CREA Realtors Care Week.
“At Back Door Mission, we provide a wide range of supports that help our community members move along their journey towards their goals. Our daily meal program is vital to the people who visit us, and the support we receive from the Durham Region Association of Realtors helps us purchase the food items needed to serve delicious and nutritious meals to over 200 community members a day,” says Stacey Snow, community development co-ordinator, Back Door Mission for the Relief of Poverty.
Jane Carter, executive director of Bereaved Families of Ontario – Durham says, “Through these efforts we are able to complete some much-needed upgrades to our facility so that our children’s program can expand as to the need of the community. This will provide us with a large meeting room for our events as well as education and training for our volunteers.”
Last summer, DRAR’s Charity Golf Tournament raised over $11,900 for Achieving Beyond Brain Injury.
“We were so pleased to be able to run our annual Charity Golf Tournament again this year while following strict guidelines from local health officials. This is always a great opportunity to have fun while supporting wonderful organizations in our community,” says 2021 DRAR Charity Golf Tournament Taskforce chair Scott White.