Surrey, B.C. – Nissa Clarkson moved to Canada from the Philippines decades ago, but she never forgot her home. For more than 20 years, Nissa and her husband Bob have returned each winter bringing toys and clothes. Nearly 400 children visit their resort at Christmas to receive gifts from Bob, who dresses as Santa Claus. Every few years, with help from military doctors and dentists, they also host a medical-dental mission providing free treatments, medication and meals for nearly 1,000 people.
This project began when Nissa noticed that her clients often downsized and had bags of items for the thrift store. She realized that those items would be treasured by Philippine children. As word spread, colleagues, clients and friends made contributions.
“This year we will be giving toys and used clothing as well as feeding the children and I will treat them with a Christmas movie about Santa Claus,” says Nissa. “We already sent 11 boxes through Manila Cargo.”
During the year, Nissa sets aside a portion of each realty commission to finance this cause and pay for shipping, which ranges from $800 to $2,000, depending on the quantity.
“We love to do the medical-dental, but not sure yet if we can afford to do it because it will cost us around $2,000 to $2,500 for the medicine and feeding the doctors and dentists as well as the patients. Just a dental mission would cost around $1,500.”
The couple will travel to the Philippines on November 25, 2019 returning in February 2020. To make a donation, please contact Nissa at Sutton - Premier Realty 604-581-8400 or nclarkson@sutton.com.
“Thank you everyone who helps to make this possible,” says Nissa. Among their long-time supporters are their friends Lorne and Barb Kotzer; Nasser Hozar, from RE/MAX 2000 Realty; Sutton – Premier Realty team members Manny Sraw, Teresa Chang and Dee Soriano, who promoted the project and donated money, clothes and/or shoes; and Mortgage Broker Aneesa Karamally, who donated money for shipping costs.
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 - Premier Realty Contact:
Nissa Clarkson
604-581-8400
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