In 2019, I embarked on my journey through the Sahara Desert with a group of people I barely knew. To say I was nervous is an understatement. The thought of blistering heat during the day and freezing cold temperatures at night, paired with my fear of bugs and blisters, was daunting. Those who knew me were shocked I’d be a part of something like this, given my dislike of hiking and the rugged outdoors.

But this was different.

By my side were 30 other Royal LePage REALTORS®, all connected by our common goal of supporting the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation. I was trekking for Cornerstone Family Violence Prevention Centre in Northumberland County, an organization that provides invaluable support to women and children in my community. I’ve been lucky enough to meet some of the people Cornerstone supports, and their perseverance through their struggles inspired me. I took on this trek, faced my fears, and began this journey all because of these incredible survivors.

They were the ones who motivated me – the ones who pushed me through the heat, the cold, and all my other fears.

Community-centric. That’s my philosophy.

As my career progressed, I wanted to give back to my community and give others the same love and care that they gave me.

I started by becoming a commission donor with Royal LePage, donating a portion of my sales to the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation. All the money raised for the Shelter Foundation goes towards supporting local women’s shelters, which in my case is the Cornerstone Family Violence Centre.

That’s how I first got involved with Cornerstone, and how I got to know the incredible, brave survivors in the shelter. I quickly realized the impact an organization like this can have on a community, and how important it is to show them support.

So, when the Shelter Foundation announced the Sahara Desert Challenge for Shelter, I knew this was my chance to step up and make a big difference. It was the perfect opportunity to raise the money and awareness Cornerstone deserves.

After being accepted to go on the trek, along with 30 other REALTORS® across the country, I was tasked with raising $5,000 for the Shelter Foundation and for Cornerstone.

I wanted to take advantage of this opportunity. I had committed to a trek halfway across the world and I wanted to push myself even further. I decided to up the fundraising stakes and raise more than the $5,000 minimum. I set myself personal a goal to raise $10,000.

Turns out raising $10,000 is no small task. Even with a supportive community, I had to find a creative and fun way to engage people. I didn’t just want to raise money, I wanted to do something so people remembered who I was helping and why. That’s where Flocked 4 Shelter was born.

Flocked 4 Shelter was a by-product of looking through a ton of Pinterest boards for creative inspiration. How it works is someone orders a “flock” of flamingoes for a friend or family member. I then go out and put plastic flamingos on their lawn or in front of their business, with a sign that says, “You’ve Been Flocked!” The reactions are the best part. No one expects to wake up to a flock of flamingos on their lawn, so when they do, they can’t help but smile!

Flocked 4 Shelter quickly took off throughout the community and I was overwhelmed by the support. It was amazing to see that those who had been flocked made donations to “flock” someone back or to pass it on to their own friends and family.

With the help of some additional creative fundraisers, we blew past my big $10,000 goal and raised a total of $37,500.