Nicole Beinert’s ninth annual pumpkin patch fundraiser looked a lot different this year due to COVID-19, but she knew with the right planning she could pull off a successful event that would provide a little bit of normalcy for her clients, friends and neighbours.
The event featured live music on her porch, balloon twisting on her driveway and a socially distanced pumpkin patch on her front lawn – all with masks, endless sanitizing and a cap on the number of people on the property at any given time.
“Despite all the changes and safety measures, it ended up being an absolutely amazing event that broke our own fundraising record,” says Beinert, a sales representative with Royal LePage Signature Realty in Toronto. “I was so touched by my community’s generosity for women and children who are starting over after fleeing domestic violence and abuse.”
The $1,500 raised will be directed to the North York Women’s Shelter, an anti-violence centre pushing back against gender-based violence in Toronto.
