Guests at the Royal LePage ‘Fiesta for Shelter’ Gala, including Phil Soper, Royal LePage president and CEO (in bow tie, at right) and Shanan Spencer-Brown, Royal LePage Shelter Foundation executive director (in red dress, second from right), learn how to flamenco dance

By Shanan Spencer-Brown

Glamour, excitement and a great cause – what’s not to love? The Royal LePage Shelter Foundation Gala, held every November in Toronto, is one event that many Royal LePagers just won’t miss. In support of our national partnership with the Canadian Women’s Foundation, this event marked its seventh year in 2013.

It starts with a theme that is announced well in advance. Whether that is Casino Royale’ as in 2012 or ‘Fiesta for Shelter’ in 2013, attendees go all out to dress for the theme. To tie the attire, dinner and cocktails together, the fun evening includes themed entertainment, such as the amazing flamenco dancers at our Fiesta for Shelter. An exciting live auction is always a highlight, where prizes fetch unprecedented amounts through the generosity of donors and bidders. Tickets to an anticipated sold-out Elton John concert and a custom- designed diamond necklace complete with a 20-person diamond-themed cocktail party were auctioned at the 2013 Gala, along with hotel, registration and limo packages for the Royal LePage National Sales Conference in Toronto in September 2014. There’s also a luxury raffle prize. This year, a $10,000 Rolex watch was won by a Royal LePage agent in attendance, which was a wonderful surprise considering 1,500 tickets were sold in advance.

While people come to join old friends and make new ones, and to revel in the glamour of the event, perhaps what resonates most with our guests, sponsors and auction donors is that this gala is all about stopping the violence that is evident in so many Canadian families. Royal LePage pays all administrative costs for the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation, so 100 per cent of funds raised at this event go to support 50 annual violence prevention programs across the country, which are vetted and funded through our partnership with the Canadian Women’s Foundation. These programs help women and children to rebuild their lives after violence and many of the programs are proactive in educating youth to develop healthy relationships, serving to stop the cycle of violence.

Shanan Spencer-Brown

Since the first Shelter Gala in 2007, more than $500,000 has been raised through this event. In addition to funding 200 shelters for abused women and children across Canada, we are extremely proud that Royal LePage is one of their largest corporate donors to the Canadian Women’s Foundation, providing an annual donation of $250,000 towards violence prevention.

Shanan Spencer-Brown is the executive director of the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation.