OLDS — Royal LePage Wildrose Real Estate is hosting a radiothon May 12 to raise money for the Mountain View Emergency Shelter building fund.
The radiothon will run from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. that day on 96.5 CKFM
Organizers say 100 per cent of donations will go toward the goal of raising money for a shelter for adults and children to escape domestic violence.
To donate, visit rlp.ca/radiothon or call Royal LePage Wildrose Real Estate at 403-556-6500.
Organizers say donations of $20 or more are tax deductible and will be receipted by the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation next February.
Clare Dickie, office manager/owner Royal LePage Wildrose Real Estate, is excited about the radiothon.
Two years ago, Royal LePage held a suitcase party for the building fund. Plans for another fundraiser last year were cancelled due to the pandemic.
They were hoping to stage another suitcase party this year, but that was cancelled again, due to the pandemic. So around about Christmas/New Year’s, they decided to do a radiothon instead.
Dickie is amazed – and gratified – by the response so far.
“We’ve got pretty good response, actually. Our realtors around the place are pounding the pavement and we’ve got quite a lot of support for it, so we’re hoping to make up for what we didn’t raise last year towards the building fund,” she said during an interview.
“It’s kind of grown from there and we just keep getting add-ons really. It’s quite exciting. We’ve already got a lot of donations promised or on-hand. People are really getting behind it; it’s fantastic.”
At the time of that interview, 12 businesses had agreed to sponsored an hour each.
In addition, several businesses have provided items for an auction to be held during the event. Those items include two four-person heli-tour fishing trips to remote lakes in Alberta.
“We’ve got a Facebook page. We’ve got a link that Royal LePage Shelter Foundation has made for us that people can donate online and it goes directly into that. And then at then of it, the money will all – like last time – (go) to the Mountain View Emergency Shelter,” she said.
“People can go and have a look and see – make their donation and watch the barometer fill up, basically.”
Dickie figures people are so enthusiastic because they see the need for the shelter. She said that need has been accentuated by the stress residents are feeling, due to pandemic lockdowns.
"People are being stuck at home. It's really gotten more important,” she said. “They just need a space really. They need somewhere to house people in a safe environment.”
Dickie said another reason her company is behind the fundraising drive is because Royal LePage has made raising money for emergency shelters a big goal nationwide.
"I just think it’s a really worthwhile," she said. “It’s part of our commitment we made when we took on the franchise here as well that we want to be part of it. It’s exciting to see how across the country, Royal LePage is supporting shelters across the country.”
She said May 12 was chosen as the date for the radiothon for a couple of reasons. One is that the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation has designated this month as Shelters Month, when they focus their fundraising efforts for shelters across the country.
A second reason is that organizers wanted to avoid clashing with other local fundraisers happening this month. They thought the best way to do that was to hold it in the middle of the week in the middle of the month.
