As he has since 2004, Baljit Singh Sandhu of Sutton Group – West Coast Realty served as an area co-ordinator for the annual Realtors Care Blanket Drive in the Lower Mainland, B.C. In addition to gathering contributions from four realty offices, Sandhu sorts and delivers items to the Surrey Memorial Hospital and the Surrey Urban Mission.
This year the team at his brokerage office in Surrey collected 30 bags of used clothing and raised $2,090 in cash, which was used to purchase 55 new jackets and 25 new blankets (with help from the Punjab Cloth House for discounted pricing). New jackets are desperately needed by the Surrey Memorial Hospital because discharging homeless patients with warm clothing helps to prevent repeat hospital visits.
Since 2003, Baljit has also volunteered at the hospital. His multilingual and people skills make him valuable to staff and visitors, says Rhonda L’Abbé, manager, volunteer resources at the hospital. “Baljit often encounters people facing a variety of challenges and is always very patient, calm and caring in his approach,” she says. “On top of that, his effort of organizing the coat donations is a tremendous support and has gone a long way in keeping our Patient Resources Depot stocked over the winters. The Depot provides clothing, shoes and other necessities for the most vulnerable of our patients of every age.”
