Glenn Larkin, whose 50th birthday raised $1,650 for the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation, with his mother Anne (left) and his mother in-law Rosemary Parsons.

To mark his 50th birthday, Royal LePage Realtor Glenn Larkin of St. John’s decided to do things differently. Rather than the usual gift-giving, he asked family, friends and co-workers to instead make a donation to the local women’s shelter. By the end of the night of the Newfoundland kitchen party, Larkin and his guests had raised $1,650 for the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation.