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Local REALTORS® Care
How to Give Back
What is Local REALTORS® Care?
The REALTORS® Care Committee’s purpose is to raise the profile of the Woodstock Ingersoll Tillsonburg
& Area Association of REALTORS® and enhance the image of REALTORS within the community through
an emphasis on ethics and good corporate citizenship and to encourage member involvement in the
Board’s community service activities.
RESPONSIBILITIES
- Building collaborative relationships with key influencers.
- Raising the awareness of the WITAAR.
- Building the WITAAR brand.
- Enhancing the local REALTOR® image within the community.
- Advancing key initiatives within Social Responsibilities including but not limited to the charitable giving.
Programs
Charity of Choice
The WITAAR Board has always given back to their communities and charities in need. In 2019 they decided to select one charity to help drive our fundraising activities and donations to make them more impactful and call it our Charity of Choice for the year.
The REALTORS® Care Committee made up an application with three simple questions:
- Please tell us why you think your organization should be chosen as our “Charity of Choice”
- Explain what your Charity provides to Oxford County
- What would you use the donations for?
A press release is sent out in November each year asking for applications to be sent in by end of year.
The committee then takes these applications and reads them carefully looking for the following criteria:
- If they service Oxford County
- Money stays within Oxford County
- Impact on Oxford County
- How much they rely on fundraising.
Each application is ranked by each committee member, results are tallied to find the charity for the year.
Recommendation put forward to Board of Directors for their final vote.
The following are our Charities to date (links attached for the news release)
- 2019-Canadian Mental Health of Oxford County- $6,315
- 2020- VON Sakura House -$11,000
- 2021-South Gate Centre- $10,242
- 2022- Wellkin Child & Youth Mental Wellness- $8,968
- Money is raised through WITAAR Events like our Christmas Party, Expo, anything else that comes along though year.
- Ontario REALTORS® Care Grant- Where $1 for each member a month is collected to form this grant yearly.
Food Drive
In 2011 the first REALTORS® Care food drive was born. A member of the committee Kelly Byers had started a food drive with her brokerage and gave the suggestion to do a board food drive.
The first year started small but successful. Now every year since we have held a food drive on the first Wednesday of May and each year it grows and each year is more successful.
All proceeds go to the Salvation Army of Woodstock, Ingersoll and now Tillsonburg. The REALTORS®, their families, friends and community volunteers sign up for a route, they go one week in advance and hang a door hanger on their door and then come back at 6pm on the first Wednesday, canvas the street and pick up the donations on the front steps and take them to the Salvation Army.
When we first started the food drive we delivered a bright coloured flyer to the homes, a few years later we added a bag to the flyer donated by the Home Hardware in Woodstock, and Foodland in Ingersoll. Then Giant Tiger and No frills also joined in donating bags as we got bigger. In 2022 we switched to door hangers with the plastic bag ban coming into effect. Now the donations are left with the bright coloured door hanger “pick up here”.
The Salvation Army looks forward to our food drive every year as we collect enough to fill their shelves for 6 months. We touch base with them every year to see their needs and update the list on the door hanger for things they most need, but people are able to donate whatever they can, some like a list.
To date we have collected an estimated 218,500 pounds of food. We started in 2011 with areas of Woodstock and Ingersoll. Now in 2023 we cover Woodstock, Ingersoll, Sweaburg, Beachville, Embro, Innerkip and now Tillsonburg. We missed one-year 2020 because of COVID-19
CONQUER the COLD
- For over 10 years WITAAR participated in “Inn out of the Cold” where they collected warm hats, mitts and scarves during month of November to donate to Inn out of the Cold Homeless shelter at Old St Paul’s Church and Inter-Church in Ingersoll.
- In 2015 the REALTORS® Care committee decided to change the name to Conquer the Cold and start a friendly competition each year between the brokerages to gain more donations and the top donating brokerage received a plague and bragging rights to the top donating brokerage.
- Since 2015 we have saw this campaign take off over and about the committee’s expectations.
2015 donations-Cash Donations-$650 $5.00, Tim Horton’s Cards -91($455) $5.00 McDonald’s Cards10($50)
- 2022 Donations were Cash/Cheque Donations – $11,261, Gift Cards – $524, Hats -87, Mitts/Gloves – 72, Scarves – 94, Socks – 5144 pairs, Personal Hygiene Items – 300
Donations
- This committee also has a donation budget in which we get requests form local charities that need help
- We have donated to serval Charities over the years some include:
- Canadian Cancer society of Woodstock and Ingersoll Relay for Life
- Merrymount Family Services Support Crisis Centre
- Andrew’s Legacy
- VON Sakura House
- Canadian Mental Health Association of Oxford
- Ingamo Homes
- DASO
- Habitat for Humanity
- Children’s Aid Society
- Beginnings Family Services
- Operation Sharing
- We also hear in the news of local families or individuals in the county of Oxford that need help because of a house fire, accent, need medication or treatments not covered and we donate $500 to $1,000 to these individuals
- We also donate as an Associations when calls come across Canada from other Real Estate Boards challenging everyone to donate to Floods, Forest Fires, tornados , Ukraine etc. Everyone comes together to help each other out.
Secondary School Trade Bursary
- Each year the Secondary Schools in our board are sent applications for a graduating student to apply for a Bursary of $500.
- $500 TO ASSIST IN FINANCING FURTHER TRADE EDUCATION
- CRITERIA:
- * MUST HAVE ONTARIO SECONDARY SCHOOL DIPLOMA
- 1 STUDENT – MALE OR FEMALE IN THEIR GRADUATING YEAR (COULD BE SPLIT INTO TWO AWARDS OF $250 EACH, in this case please fill in 2 applications)
- ONLY THOSE INTERESTED IN SKILLED TRADES LOOKING AT COLLEGE THE FOLLOWING YEAR WITH A TRADE DESTINATION WILL BE CONSIDERED
- SCHOOL TO SELECT BURSARY RECIPIENT IF A STUDENT DOES NOT APPLY
- * MUST HAVE ONTARIO SECONDARY SCHOOL DIPLOMA
- Schools we give bursary to:
- Ingersoll District Collegiate Institute-IDCI in Ingersoll
- College Ave Secondary School- CASS in Woodstock
- Huron Park Secondary School in Woodstock
- Woodstock Collegiate Institute-WCI in Woodstock
- Ecole Secondaire Notre-Dame in Woodstock
- Glendale Secondary School in Tillsonburg
REALTORS® Care Award
- In 2015 we started this Award
This award is one of our organization’s highest honours. Presented to an individual whose dedication to excellence has proven not only to have influenced quality of life in our communities, but also enhanced the REALTOR® image and the image of the Woodstock Ingersoll Tillsonburg & Area Association of REALTORS®.
This award recognizes the REALTORS® personal leadership and service qualities not only applied to the real estate industry but also to the promotion of our community and charitable causes.
Criteria:
- • Candidates must be a licensed REALTOR® of WITAAR in good standing.
- • Candidates must have made a valuable contribution to WITAAR in time and effort.
- Candidates must be, or in the recent past, have been active in their community and have made a valuable contribution in time and effort that resulted in a positive difference in the community.
- • The candidates cannot be the present President or on the selection committee of our Board.
- • The candidate nomination must be signed by one (1) WITAAR members in good standing.
- • Previous award recipients can only apply again after three (3) years.
- • The selection committee will review all candidates’ nominations received at the Board Office.
- • The award winner will be notified at the award presentation at the WITAAR Annual Christmas Party in December.
This award is meant to be an award that our entire industry is proud of. Our industry and the public are looking for positive role models.
Award Benefits
- $500.00 donation in their name to a Charity of their choice
- WITAAR will waive the monthly assessment fee for 1 year.
- A plaque with Award details to be given at the annual Christmas Party.
- Advertise the award recipient through press releases, WITAAR website & Facebook page.
- Award recipient will also be sent for the OREA Spirit award in March following year.
- Recipient may advertise receipt of this award on their personal business cards if they choose.
- Applications go out for Nominations of the award to the brokerages and the members to be submitted by end of October each year.
- A sub committee is formed of 4 members of the REALTORS® Care Committee and the current Board President.
- They are give each application to review, the board prepares background information and points are allowed but their board participation during last 5 years and their community involvement.
- The committee each review each one give points based on predetermined criteria and then ranks each one according to the point system. The committee comes together talks about the nominations and gives their rankings to determine a winner for that year.
- A trophy is then made up and presented to the winner at our annual Christmas Party.
Past Winners
2022- Dane Willson
REALTORS® Care Week
- In 2019 CREA announced the first ever REALTORS® Care week.
- In 2021 WITAAR Got involved. https://www.realtorscare.ca/
- Throughout the year, REALTORS® support causes close to home and are instrumental in making a difference in their communities.
- During REALTORS Care® Week, REALTORS® come together to support housing and shelter-related charities across Canada. If a board or association has organized a volunteering activity in your community (opportunities below), REALTORS® are encouraged to get involved.
- Use your social media channels to share messages on the importance of giving back to those in our communities who need it most. Join the conversation using #REALTORSCareWeek!
- By coming together during REALTORS Care® Week, REALTORS® can contribute to building a future where safe and affordable housing is accessible to all, while creating momentum for volunteerism in our industry.
- In 2021 We partnered with our charity of choice the Senior’s Centre and made smile bags to be delivered to seniors living alone or just need to have a smile on their face.
- In 2022 we partnered with our charity of choice to make Surprise bags for the children at Wellkin Child and Youth.
Sponsor events in Community
- This committee also sponsors events in the community.
- Over the years we sponsored Canadian Blood Services, we post all the upcoming donor clients in our area for the REALTORS to donate blood.
- Other events:
- OREA Motorcycle ride for Charity
- Free Swimming at South side Pool in Woodstock and Ingersoll pool
- Free Public Skating, Norwich, Thamesford, Ingersoll & Plattsville
- Norwich Optimist Corn Maze – sponsored free admission in 2019 for their Super Hero day
- Navy Vets Hockey Official Game Sponsor – Handed out swag to the kids and adults got a ticket to win 2 tickets to Toronto Maple Leaf Game
- Habitat Humanity Build in Woodstock, have participated in 2 now.
- Summer of 2021 we did a scavenger Hunt open to Primary and Secondary students of Oxford County. They had to take pictures of items on the applications and email them for chance to win a Chromebook. We gave away 4 Chromebook.