As the old saying goes... "You can't understand another person's experience until you've walked a mile in their shoes." Last week, Mark Broady, along with about 50 other male brokers from Royal LePage Village, donned a pair of red high-heeled shoes and took part in the Walk a Mile in Her Shoes® event organized to support The Royal LePage Shelter Foundation and our local women's shelter. 

This International Men's March aims to stop rape, sexual assault & gender violence. It is a dramatic opportunity to raise awareness in our community about the serious causes, effects, and remediation to men's sexualized violence. It’s a public statement about empathy, understanding, and awareness, and an engaging way to get the community talking about gender biases, gender relations, and men's sexualized violence. Since Team Broady prides itself on giving back to the community, it was an event we couldn't miss! Not only did we raise over $1600 for this fantastic cause, but we also donate a portion of every commission to the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation, Canada's largest public foundation dedicated exclusively to funding women's shelters and violence prevention programs. Our clients love that when they work with us, they get to help women and children in crisis too.

In fact, Royal LePage is the only Canadian real estate company with its own charitable foundation. It's Canada's largest public foundation dedicated exclusively to funding women's shelters and violence prevention programs. Every dollar raised goes directly to helping more than 30,000 women and children each year through the shelters and support programs we fund. Since 1998, the Shelter Foundation has raised more than $24 million and currently supports over 200 women's shelters and national partners. 

Over the years, Team Broady's founder, Libby Broady, has also organized Christmas Auctions and Garage Sale fundraisers supporting our local West Island Women's Shelter. What's more, in August 2015, Libby trekked to the lost city of Machu Picchu in Peru in support of the cause. For 6 days, Libby trekked at high altitudes, slept in a tent, and went without running water, electricity, and cell phone service, together with colleagues from Royal LePage offices across Canada raising funds for their local Shelters. It wasn't easy, but she prepared herself physically and mentally for the challenge for months. Each dollar she raised and every step she took made it easier for women and children to walk safely away from violence.

Her fundraising goal was to raise $10,000 for the local Shelter. Thanks to all those who so generously sponsored them on this venture, she raised $12,500 for the Shelter Foundation. As a group, nearly $500,000 was raised to help fund shelters across Canada.

Mark then picked up the torch from Libby and completed 2 more Charity Challenges - trekking through the Volcanic Highlands in Iceland in 2017, and the Sahara Desert in Morocco in 2019. He raised over $15,000 for the cause and the two Challenges collectively raised over $1,600,000 for shelters across Canada.

In Mark's words:“I started these hikes with 30 or so complete strangers in our group, and by day 5, we were like one big family. It was a spiritual journey for each of us – the time you spend in your own head and heart over a 115 km hike is priceless. It was a chance to see some of the most beautiful, unspoiled, natural landscapes left on this planet. Not a day passed that I didn't think about the women and children living in fear and danger. No matter how difficult the hike became, I knew it was nothing compared to what some of these families have to endure.”

As Mark walked in those red high-heeled shoes, the same sentiment was felt. It's not easy walking in these shoes, but it's an experience around which a lot of education, self-reflection, and change happens. It was an honor to be part of this stunning public statement and to raise funds for a cause that's so near and dear to our hearts. 

The Broady's aren't just a team of realtors. They are a family business built on family values, with deep roots in the community, and it's essential for them to give back to that community.

Don't hesitate to reach out for all your real estate needs at 514-613-2988 or info@teambroady.ca