October: Community and Giving Back
The Royal LePage Shelter Foundation
Being people-first means caring about all people in our community, not just those that buy and sell homes with us. That’s why we’re proud to be involved with the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation and its mission of helping women and children across Canada who are fleeing domestic violence. Learn about the foundation, how we try to do our small bit on the Nick Fundytus team, and how you can get involved.
1. A Foundation Built on Safety & Hope
As a real estate professional, I spend a lot of time helping people find houses. But what makes a house truly a home is safety. Sadly, not every family in Ottawa or across Canada has that.
Every year, thousands of women and children are forced to flee their homes because of domestic violence. It’s a heartbreaking reality — but it’s also why the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation exists.
The Royal LePage Shelter Foundation is Canada’s largest public foundation exclusively dedicated to supporting women’s shelters and violence-prevention initiatives. Established in 1998, the foundation was born from a guiding belief: a house is only a home when people feel safe. Since its founding, it has raised more than $51 million and supports over 200 local shelters and national partner programs.
One hallmark of the Shelter Foundation model is that 100% of donor dollars go directly to front-line support — Royal LePage absorbs all administrative costs.
How the Foundation Raises Funds
Royal LePage’s support for the Shelter Foundation spans multiple channels:
Commission Donations: Many Royal LePage agents donate a portion of their real estate commission when they help clients buy or sell homes.
Brokerage & Local Events: Offices host community-based fundraisers — from bake sales and silent auctions to gala dinners, family fun days, and golf tournaments.
Signature Trek Events: The “Challenge for Shelter” treks (to places like Cambodia, Ecuador, the Sahara, etc.) are high-visibility, high-impact experiences. Nick is participating in this year’s Cambodia Trek.
National Garage Sale for Shelter: Held annually during Shelter Month (May), this grassroots event involves Royal LePage offices across Canada selling donated items, with proceeds directed to local shelters.
Because of this diversified approach, the Shelter Foundation is able to maintain both national scale and deeply local impact — money raised in a community goes back to shelters serving that same community.
2. How the Foundation Raises Funds
The Shelter Foundation raises money in many ways:
Community fundraisers like garage sales, auctions, and golf tournaments.
Commission donations, where agents contribute a portion of their earnings.
National campaigns like the annual Garage Sale for Shelter.
Challenge Treks, where volunteers push themselves physically while raising awareness and funds.
This mix of grassroots and national efforts ensures the foundation can support shelters across Canada while still keeping donations local.
3. My Connection: Trekking for Shelter
This fall, I’ll be joining fellow Royal LePage professionals on the Cambodia Challenge for Shelter. Over five days and nearly 100 kilometres, we’ll trek through rice paddies, jungles, and historic sites like Angkor Wat.
While the trek is a personal challenge for me, its purpose is much bigger: to raise awareness and funds for families who need safe homes. Each participant commits to raising at least $6,000 — and because we pay our own travel costs, every fundraising dollar goes directly to shelters.
For me, this trek is a way to live the values of the Shelter Foundation and bring the mission home to Ottawa.
I’m very excited to be a part of the trek; I’ll be returning to a beautiful country that I last visited almost 20 years ago, meeting fellow community-minded colleagues from across Canada, and most importantly supporting an important cause through fundraising and promoting the foundation.
4. How You Can Help Ottawa Families
The Shelter Foundation’s work is only possible because of community support. Here are a few ways you can make a difference:
Donate – Contribute directly to my Cambodia Trek fundraising page. Every dollar helps Ottawa shelters.
Support Local Events – Join in community fundraisers I’ll be hosting before the trek, and in the years ahead.
Spread the Word – Talk about the Shelter Foundation’s mission and the importance of safe homes for all families.
Volunteer or Partner Locally – Shelters in Ottawa often welcome extra hands or community partnerships.
Together, we can make sure more families in our community find not just a house, but a safe home.
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