The London and St. Thomas Association of Realtors presented a Quality of Life Award to member Mary Johnson at its recent AGM. The award is for Kindness Above Everything (KAE), a charity Johnson founded that connects with local agencies to determine what people living in shelters or transitional housing need and then provides them with those necessities.
A second Quality of Life Award was presented to a team made up of LSTAR members Debbie Collins, Dan Grantham, Warren Shantz, Barb Whitney, Peter Whatmore and LSTAR’s director of business and promotions Tracy Marino for outstanding work organizing the 2014 Hockey Helps the Homeless London tournament. The 2014 tournament raised $120,000 – $40,000 each for Merrymount Family Support and Crisis Centre, Youth Opportunities Unlimited and the Unity Project. Special Guest Gary Scullion, CEO of Hockey Helps the Homeless, was on hand to receive a cheque for $5,000 to cover LSTAR’s sponsorship of this year’s tournament.
LSTAR bonspiel committee chair Glen Gordon presented Mission Services of London with a cheque for $12,341, representing the funds raised by this year’s bonspiel and LSTAR’s Home for Hope pins.
This donation raises the total that LSTAR has donated to Mission Services since 1992 past the $300,000 mark to stand at $311,014.
LSTAR Quality of Life chair Heather Arnott presented St. Joseph’s Hospice with a cheque in fulfillment of LSTAR’s 2013 pledge to donate $50,000 over two years towards the establishment of the first residential hospice in the community. The funds came from a number of sources, including the proceeds from a Slo Pitch tournament and Ontario Realtors Care Foundation grants.
Finally, 2014 Christmas Gala chair Michelle Orsini presented the Merrymount Family Crisis and Support Centre with a cheque for $$26,785, bringing the association’s total donation to Merrymount to $51,431.
