Chilliwack, B.C. – The team at Sutton - Showplace Realty (2015) originally hoped to raise $1,000 with their BC Wildfire Evacuees BBQ Fundraiser in July. The public response was very positive. Over the course of three hours, they served 144 hotdogs. Some people skipped the food and simply made cash donations. These Sutton volunteers raised $1,284.70 for the Red Cross to assist victims of the wildfires that are raging across B.C. To date, the fires have consumed a record-breaking 8,944 square kilometres.
“One lady stopped by our table and it turned out she was a resident of Williams Lake [an area devastated by fire],” says Amber Siemens, Office Receptionist. “She told us her family has a farm up there and, when a neighbouring town received evacuation orders, they took in someone else’s horses. Once the evacuation order was issued for Williams Lake, they had to transport them all to another safe zone. The problem was that they only had a two-horse trailer and seven horses to move.”
“She spent hours making multiple trips to relocate the horses. It is wonderful to see how people pull together. This woman and her family are staying at her mother’s house in Chilliwack until it’s safe to return home. When I offered her a free hot dog combo, she declined and instead handed us a donation…. It was so amazing.”
“It made me proud of the generosity of our fellow British Colombians, as even those who are affected just want to help out. It made me proud of our office, to have such a great turn out of REALTORS® and Admin staff donating their time and money to such a worthy cause.”
This barbeque is just one of the many ways that Sutton - Showplace Realty (2015) contributes to the community. In recent years, they have held bowl-a-thons for Big Brothers Big Sisters, shown their support for anti-bullying and participated in the REALTORS Care® Blanket Drive.
Pictured above: Jim Adam, his friend Elmer, Tibor Bogdan, his niece Clara, Crystal De Jager, her significant other Brad, Chris Kloot, Trude Kafka, Jake Siemens, Crystal Thompson, her daughter Lizzie, Kathy Werner and Jillian Fraser (not pictured).
Sutton is a 100% Canadian-owned and operated company with more than 8,000 REALTORS® in over 200 offices nationwide. To find out more about Sutton, visit www.sutton.com. To learn more about Sutton Spirit, visit www.suttonspirit.com.
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Sutton - Showplace Realty (2015) Contact:
Jillian Fraser
604-613-4690
Sutton Group Realty Services Ltd. Contact:
Sandra Vujatovic
604-691-1655
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