Caledon, ON - The philanthropic Terra Cotta Professional Women in Business group, which includes Sutton associate Rayissa Palmer, recently discovered that the abused women’s shelter in Caledon was in dire need of coats, boots, hats, scarfs and bedding for women and children. Rayissa reached out to her neighbourhood association of 100 households and collected over 20 bags of warm clothing and bedding as well as baby food, diapers, toiletries, toys and more.
“We put the call out and over a week’s time, every day, every time I opened my door, I would find boxes and bags on my doorstep as people generously donated,” says Rayissa. “My heart swells with happiness that we are able to help, especially during COVID when we are not able to volunteer in person with the groups we support.”
As the collection was underway, the shelter went into lockdown, so the organizers scrambled to find solutions. “With the help of my friends and fellow Terra Cotta business group members: Christina Early, Caledon Town Councillor Ward 2; Anne Thompson, wife of Caledon Mayor Allan Thompson; and Donna Craig, Director of Development and Communications at Caledon Community Services (www.ccs4u.org), we found homes for all the donations. Christina, Donna and I met on my driveway on Saturday morning to sort everything. Items for the shelter will be delivered after the lockdown. My husband Jorge and I loaded a pickup and car for other deliveries to Caledon Community Services and the Exchange (www.caledonexchange.org).”
When not in lockdown, her mother and business partner, Sandy Bodnar, typically volunteers at the Exchange once a week as a receptionist. On Saturday, Sandy helped to sustain the group’s sorting efforts with cookies and coffee.
Showing exceptional dedication, this year alone, Rayissa volunteered with the Coldest Night of the Year, the Ron White Shoe Drive, launched her own food drive to help meet the explosion of demand during the pandemic, and hosted driveway dance performances to support Kalyna, a non-profit Ukrainian dance troupe.
Sutton is a 100% Canadian-owned and operated company with more than 7,000 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.
Sutton Group Realty Services Ltd. Contact:
Brooke Matthews
604-691-1689
Sutton Group - Old Mill Realty Inc.* Contact:
Rayissa Palmer
416-234-2424
Sandy Bodnar
416-234-2424
*Independently owned and operated brokerage
Comments