The Royal LePage Shelter Foundation is Canada’s largest public foundation dedicated exclusively to funding women’s shelters and violence prevention and education programs.

Many Royal LePage agents donate a portion of their commission to the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation when they sell or purchase a home for you.  Special events, such as gala dinners and golf tournaments, are also organized by Royal LePage offices to raise funds and awareness.

This much-needed funding is helping to provide a safe place for women and children to rebuild their lives after violence. Shelters use our support to provide job training initiatives, renovate and build new shelters, and cover the cost of crisis counselling and therapy for more than 30,000 women and children each year. The Royal LePage Shelter Foundation also supports programs focused on stopping the cycle of violence by educating young people on healthy relationships. As Royal LePage covers all the administrative costs of the Shelter Foundation, 100% of funds raised goes toward our cause.

“Helping You Is What We Do™ is not just a tagline, it is our corporate philosophy and it translates into a collective commitment to giving back to the community,” says Phil Soper, President and Chief Executive of Royal LePage.

Why we help

Royal LePage real estate agents help Canadians find their dream home. And for those who don’t have a safe and peaceful home, Royal LePage agents are also there, lending a helping hand in neighbourhoods where we live and work.

Research tells us the following:

• 51% of women in Canada have experienced at least one incident of physical or sexual violence since the age of 16.
• 360,000 children are exposed to domestic violence each year.
• Every six days in Canada, a woman is murdered by her current or former partner.

“The issue of violence against women and their children in Canada is significant,” says Shanan Spencer-Brown, Executive Director of the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation. “We are proud to work with over 200 women’s shelters and local and national partners to save lives.”

To learn more about the Shelter Foundation and to make a donation to help put abuse out of commission, visit www.royallepage.ca/shelter.  To read brave stories of hope by women and children survivors of family violence, visit www.shelterfoundation.ca.

“I have gained a lot from the staff at the shelter, such as self worth, and learning how to let go of a lot of the guilt I have carried for such a long time. For once in my life, I feel empowered, and I cannot ever express what that is worth to me. I felt safe here physically as well as emotionally, knowing that while I’m behind these walls, I will not be harmed.”
- A resident at Discovery House, Calgary, Alberta

Royal LePage Shelter Foundation Charitable Registration No: 88253 1304 RR0001

Don’t know about the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation? Here’s a little information:

“Because we believe in the importance of giving back to the community, Royal LePage is the only Canadian real estate company to have our own charitable foundation. All of the administrative costs of the Shelter Foundation are underwritten so that 100% of every dollar donated goes directly to helping our cause.”

Every dollar that we earn stays local, and benefits the Desert Sun Counselling and Resource Center.

How can you help?

De-clutter your home! Donate your unwanted, GENTLY used (or new) items to our garage sale and you’ll be helping women and children in our community safely escape violence.

Please call Royal LePage South Country at 250-498-6222 if you have items you’d like to donate, or bring your items in to us at our office at Southwind’s Crossing Shopping Center.

Choose a Plot or a Pot
Stake out an area of your garden for your child and encourage a sense of ownership.  A couple of large pots or an old sandbox on a balcony or patio can create the same impact. Provide your child with tools of the trade. A plastic garden spade, a small watering can, gardening gloves, and plant markers are a must.

Plan for Plantin’
Take your child to the nursery garden to choose seeds.  Fast-growing plants will hold their interest:  zinnias and “mammoth” sunflowers add dramatic colours and grow to over 3 metres in height. Black-eyed Susans are a great flower choice as they are relatively self-sufficient and have bright yellow flowers that attract butterflies, bees, and birds, which will surely indulge your little gardener’s curiosity.  Plant vegetables such as cucumbers, radishes, potatoes, carrots, spinach, and zucchini, which all sprout fairly quickly, are relatively easy to grow, and add greenery to your garden.  Bright red cherry tomatoes are a particularly good option for planting in pots on a balcony or patio. Growing vegetables together should encourage the little ones to eat healthy too.

Nurture Nature
When the seeds are planted and marked it’s time to water and indulge your child’s interest in worms, bugs and the nature of things.  A terrific way of keeping plants insect-free is to attract frogs or toads to the garden.  Providing a water source is a good start. If you don’t have a garden pond, a shallow bowl with a large stone or log is a good alternative.

Add a Child’s Touch
A boulder rock with the child’s name marked on it is a great way to make the small space feel special. A tiny well-placed gnome or fairy that peeks behind flowers and vegetables adds a sense of enchantment.   When interest wanes, construct a funny scarecrow or set out a birdbath and enjoy the spectacle and sound of our feathered friends.

Relax & Enjoy                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Gardening is a great way to convert a picky little eater. When it’s time to harvest your veggies from the kiddie garden, throw a blanket on the grass and enjoy a tasty picnic lunch.  Relax with your “little gardener” and enjoy. There’s nothing quite like literally consuming the fruits (or, in this case, vegetables) of your labour!

2nd Annual Gingerbread House Competition & Silent Auction!

OPEN TO EVERYONE
Enter your Gingerbread House for a chance to win!

1st Prize – $75.00
2nd Prize – $50.00
3rd Prize – $25.00

Contest Details:

Houses will be displayed at Royal LePage South Country from November 30th to December 15th.

And you DON’T have to build a house to participate, winners will be decided by a public vote – you can vote for your favourite!!

Public Voting open at Royal LePage South Country from December 1st to December 15th.  Winners will be announced on December 15th.

Gingerbread House Contest Rules and Registration 2011

Silent Auction Details:

Gingerbread Houses will be AUCTIONED OFF and all proceeds from this event will be donated to the ROYAL LEPAGE SHELTER FOUNDATION, Canada’s largest public foundation dedicated exclusively to funding women’s shelters and violence prevention programs.

Last year, during our 1st Annual Gingerbread House Competition, we managed to raise nearly $300 through the silent auction!  This year, help us beat that total!!

So get your creative juices flowing and get those delicious houses built!  We can’t wait to see your entry!!

Picture this… you find the perfect home. The curb appeal is sensational. You walk through the property and every room is just right: that quartz counter-top you’ve always wanted; a marvellous kitchen that makes you feel like Iron Chef; a luxurious tub in the en suite, and; plenty of closet space. You picture yourself living there and begin to wonder about a few things – How far is the nearest school? Where would I buy groceries? Which banks can I walk to? What types of restaurants are in the area?

Although your Realtor® is a fountain of knowledge and can answer your questions, he/she may not be right there when you think of the question. And, although we’d all like to carry our agents around in our pockets at all times, it isn’t always practical. Or is it?

Royal LePage has just made it possible to take your real estate services with you anywhere. Now you can get comprehensive answers to all of those questions, complete with maps, on your smart phone through Royal LePage’s mobile website.

This easy-to-use mobile website uses your phone’s GPS to find everything you’ need to know about your neighbourhood including amenities and the ‘walkability’ rating. Use the Royal LePage powered search engine to find listings with multiple pictures, property details, features and agent contact information, anywhere in Canada. You can even share listings with friends and family straight from your mobile device.

Now suppose you have this ”perfect home” experience several times in the course of one house hunting weekend. That can be a little confusing. But with Royal LePage’s new mobile website you can add to favourites, make and save notes on any listing to jog your memory when you’re reviewing your options later.

Royal LePage is taking real estate services to a whole new level with 24/7 access to all of these conveniences and information at your fingertips. And you deserve it. After all you’re not buying a pair of shoes, you’re making one of the biggest purchases of your life.

Click here to contact us and learn more!

Join us for our…

PASSPORT TO VALUE

OPEN HOUSE BLITZ

Visit 5 of these Open Houses on Sunday, July 24th and have your passport stamped for a chance to win a local wine Gift Basket!  Passports can be picked up at our office on July 24th.  You will have an opportunity to visit 21 of our current home listings.  Open House times and locations are listed below – click the links for more info!

11am – noon:

$469,900 34443 103rd Street (Cancelled)

$499,900 34425 103rd Street

$259,900 33613 Sawmill Road

$46,900  #1 – 33829 Hwy 97 (Country Lodge MHP)

$194,900 #5 – 36616 87th Street (MacPherson Meadows)

$279,900 36454 79th Street

12:30pm-1:30pm:

$192,500-$219,900  Units 406C, 107C, 108C, and 411C – 7149 356th Ave (CasaRio)

$89,900  #17 – 36676 71st Street (Cherry Grove MHP)

$84,900  #18 – 37018 71A Street (Tradewinds MHP)

$499,000 #7 – 37071 87th Street (Arbour Crest)

$273,000 8724 369th Street

$259,000 10107 362nd Street

2pm-3pm:

$785,000 37027 81st Street

$89,900  #66 – 36676 71st Street (Cherry Grove MHP)

$349,000 36868 87B Street (Willowglen)

$169,900 #14 – 36624 71st St (Sunningdale Estates)

$289,900 10171 346th Street

$185,000 #1 – 7931 362nd Street (Park Lane Villa)

See You There!

Enter to win!

Do you love where you live? Tell us why by entering Royal LePage’s back-by-popular-demand “My Great Neighbourhood” contest, and you could win one of 3 great prizes.

The rules are simple and no purchase is necessary, so enter before October 21st, 2011 for your chance to win!

Don’t know about the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation?  Here’s a little information:

“Because we believe in the importance of giving back to the community, Royal LePage is the only Canadian real estate company to have our own charitable foundation. All of the administrative costs of the Shelter Foundation are underwritten so that 100% of every dollar donated goes directly to helping our cause.”

Every dollar that we earn stays local, and benefits the South Okanagan Women in Need Society.

How can you help?

De-clutter your home! Donate your unwanted, GENTLY used (or new) items to our garage sale and you’ll be helping women and children in our community safely escape violence.

Please call Royal LePage South Country at 250-498-6222 if you have items you’d like to donate, or bring your items in to us at our office in Oliver Place Mall.

Good thing we live in a small town.  With everything being so close, I suppose it shouldn’t take us TOO long to find places when the new street names come into effect.  That’s good news for emergency services…it shouldn’t make them more than a few minutes late.  Oh wait, when only seconds count…!

Ok, so obviously I’m not a fan of the proposed plan to change Oliver’s street names from a universally understood (although admittedly imperfect…but keep in mind, no system is perfect!)  numerical system to a more localized and site specific  name system.  In all honestly I haven’t yet talked to anyone who is a fan, but what can be done?  The decision is made.  Like it or not, it’s going to happen.  But that’s not going to stop me from questioning the decision.

I wonder, will our property taxes rise to cover what’s bound to be an enormous expense, or maybe we can recoup some of the cost by charging for the vast quantities of maps we’ll have to give out so folks can find their way around?  Sure, names are more charming than numbers, but does that really justify the upheaval of the whole town for vanity sake?  Never mind that numbers are easier to navigate, what about the time and money that businesses will have to put out to reprint their cards, brochures and pamphlets?

I don’t know, I just don’t get it!  Is there something the Town Council knows that the general public doesn’t?  What makes this a good idea??  I really want to know YOUR thoughts on this – are you for or against it, and why?

Think Again!  Think Oliver.

Royal LePage South Country

Presents the

Under $300,000 Open House Blitz!

Saturday, November 27, 2010

10:30 am to 2:30 pm

We think Oliver is the best priced community in the Okanagan!

Visit the properties linked below to see just how much you CAN afford to buy.

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Low prices + Low interest rates = Great Buys!!

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SATURDAY Nov 27, 2010

Come into the Royal LePage Office in the Oliver Place Mall, Hwy 97 to view pictures of these and others,  and ask questions of our knowledgeable agents.

Pat Evans, mortgage broker with Complete Mortgage Services will be on hand at the Royal LePage office from 10:30 am to 2:30 pm Saturday the 27th.  Come in and talk to Pat to find out how much of a mortgage you can qualify for, what your payments would be, and how much you can afford to pay for a new home.

Sample mortgage on purchase of $250,000 home:

5% down payment: $12,500; monthly payment: $1021.51

(based on 5 year fixed rate of 3.59% and 35 year amortization; APR of 3.62%).

For More info call Pat Evans, Complete Mortgage Services 250-486-3693

(Verico Complete Tami O’Callaghan Mortgages Inc)