Kyle Hislop, a sales rep at Royal LePage Wheeler Cheam Realty in Chilliwack, B.C., was brainstorming fundraising ideas for his upcoming Machu Picchu Challenge for Shelter. He was looking for something that would stand out in his community and raise significant awareness for his local women’s shelter.

“I figured living on a roof in the middle of winter would work,” says Hislop. “I also knew it would demonstrate how much my colleagues and I care about our community.”

From Feb. 2 to 6, Hislop camped day and night on the roof of his brokerage’s office, while collecting pledges from nearly 100 donors.  Local radio stations kept tabs on his progress, encouraging donations and friendly honks from those driving by.

When 97 mm of rain added to Hislop’s challenges, “Admittedly, the adventure began to lose some of its lustre, but the fundraiser couldn’t have gone better,” he says.

On his final day, Hislop was welcomed from the roof by representatives from Ann Davis Transition Society, who were elated to learn that $8,100 had been raised to help women and children escaping violence.

Participants in the Machu Picchu Challenge for Shelter will be trekking to the lost city of Machu Picchu, Peru in August 2015. Trekkers from Royal LePage offices across Canada must raise $5,000 each for their local women’s shelter and cover their own travel costs.