Royal LePage Shelter Foundation sets new fundraising records in support of women's shelters across Canada

@RLPShelterFdn    @Royal_LePage    #GarageSale4Shelter

Raising awareness and over $2 million to help stop the cycle of family violence

TORONTO, April 10, 2012 /CNW/ - The Royal LePage Shelter Foundation is thrilled to announce its fundraising results for 2011: a record-setting $2 million was raised in support of women's shelters and to help stop family violence in Canada.

Since 1999, the Shelter Foundation has raised more than $14 million with the support of generous Royal LePage agents, brokers, managers and staff, along with members of the communities in which they live and work and local and national sponsors. Since Royal LePage covers the administrative costs of the Shelter Foundation, 100% of the funds raised goes toward the cause.

Royal LePage is the only Canadian real estate company with its own charity, empowering sales representatives to make a tangible difference in their local community and across the country. The Shelter Foundation supports 200 shelters across Canada, helping more than 30,000 women and children every year. It's also committed to preventing violence by funding healthy relationship programs for youth. Studies have found that close to 1 in 3 teenagers have experienced dating violence.

"Violence against women affects thousands of Canadian families," says Shanan Spencer-Brown, executive director of the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation. "Half of all women in Canada have experienced at least one incident of physical or sexual violence since the age of 16 and 360,000 children are exposed to family violence every year. That's why we are so committed to raising funds to provide a safe haven for women and children and to stop the cycle of family violence."

The Shelter Foundation's signature event is the National Garage Sale for Shelter, a one-day charity garage sale taking place on May 12, 2012 at Royal LePage offices across Canada. Members of the community are encouraged to join in and de-clutter for a cause. Donate gently used items at any participating Royal LePage office by Friday, May 11 and visit your local Garage Sale on Saturday, May 12. For more information, please contact your local Royal LePage office or click here to see a list of National Garage Sale for Shelter locations.

"Helping You Is What We Do™ is not just a tagline, it is our corporate philosophy and it translates into a collective commitment to giving back to the community," said Phil Soper, president and chief executive of Royal LePage. "Royal LePage professionals are tireless in their efforts to create safer homes and safer communities through the Shelter Foundation."

To view a video on the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation, please visit: http://video.royallepage.ca/mediadetail/2052726-Royal-LePage-Shelter-Foundatio

About the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation

The Royal LePage Shelter Foundation is Canada's largest public foundation dedicated exclusively to supporting women's shelters and violence prevention and education. Through agent commission donations and the fundraising activities of the Royal LePage network, $14 million has been raised to help provide a safe haven to more than 30,000 women and children each year and to support prevention programs that stop the cycle of family violence. All funds raised by Royal LePage offices remain in their local community and because Royal LePage pays the Shelter Foundation's administrative costs, 100% of all money and effort goes toward this important cause.

For more information on the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation and the National Garage Sale for Shelter taking place on May 12, 2012, visit www.royallepage.ca/shelter.

About Royal LePage

Serving Canadians since 1913, Royal LePage is the country's leading provider of services to real estate brokerages, with a network of 14,000 real estate professionals in over 600 locations nationwide. Royal LePage is a Brookfield Real Estate Services Inc. company, a TSX-listed corporation trading under the symbolTSX:BRE. For more information, visit www.royallepage.ca.

Image with caption: "Royal LePage Shelter Foundation logo (CNW Group/Royal LePage Shelter Foundation)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20120410_C4144_PHOTO_EN_12090.jpg

Image with caption: "Phil Soper, President and Chief Executive of Royal LePage (second from left) and Shanan Spencer-Brown (third from left), Executive Director of the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation, visit one of more than one hundred National Garage Sale for Shelter locations in 2011. (CNW Group/Royal LePage Shelter Foundation)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20120410_C4144_PHOTO_EN_12087.jpg

Shanan Spencer-Brown
Executive Director, Royal LePage Shelter Foundation
Direct: 416-510-5750
Mobile: [phone]
[email protected]

Michael Gotzamanis
Fleishman-Hillard
Direct: 416-598-5788
Mobile:  [phone]
[email protected]