Realtors Cook Up Breakfast Month at Our Place

VICTORIA, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Oct 1, 2014) -

Editor's Note: There is a photo associated with this release.

If there is one group of individuals who understand the importance of warm food and shelter, it's the Victoria Real Estate Board. And when two past presidents of the board learned of the opportunity to sponsor breakfasts at Our Place, it was a light bulb moment that has transformed into an entire month of giving Greater Victoria's most vulnerable citizens a hearty and healthy start to the day.

After touring the unique, inner-city community centre, Bev Highton and Eric Charman challenged their fellow VREB past presidents to Sponsor-A-Breakfast for $500 at Our Place. But when word got out, the whole real estate community joined together and decided to sponsor the month of October.

"It's just fantastic to see the community of realtors coming together like this to help the less fortunate," says Don Evans, executive director of Our Place. "This winter, we're expanding our hours to better meet the needs of this vulnerable population, so to receive this much needed and generous help at such a crucial stage is a true blessing."

Highton and Charman have been impressed by the work being done at Our Place, and welcomed the opportunity to become more involved.

"It was a natural fit for us," says Charman. "Waking up in the cold with nothing to look forward to is about as depressing as it gets. If we can help make someone's day just that little bit better, then it means the world to us."

Highton agrees. "Our Place offers so many people a warm, dry place to get the help they need. And when the area's realtors found out that we could pitch in and help, too, the idea caught on like wildfire."

Along with active realtors, retired realtors are climbing onboard and roping in their families, school groups and more to help serve the daily cooked breakfast to a hungry crowd of anywhere from 300 to 500 people.

Some of the realtors participating are: Carolyn Developments - Ken Henderson; Proline Management; Newport Realty - Jack Petrie; Victoria Real Estate Board - Board of Directors; Brown Bros; Eric Charman; Fimrite Management; Premier Network Group; Bill Pettinger & family; NAI Commerical; Ron Neal - ReMax Alliance; Carol Crabb - Newport Realty; Royal LePage Coast Capital - Bill Ethier; Deedrie Ballard - ReMax Camosun; Victoria Real Estate Board staff team; Fisgard Asset Management Corporation; Diana Devlin- ReMax Camosun; Pemberton Holmes; Chris Markham - Century 21 Queenswood Realty; Scott Kendrew (retired); Marc Owen - Flood Personal Real Estate Corp; Newport Realty.

Our Place is an inner-city community centre serving Greater Victoria's most vulnerable: working poor, impoverished elderly, mentally and physically challenged, addicted and the homeless. Individuals and businesses provide the majority of financial support for its programs and services. Our Place provides 45 transitional housing units, over 1,200 meals per day, hot showers, free clothing, counseling and outreach services. Most importantly, it provides a sense of hope and belonging to our neighbours in need.

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