Re/Max Run for the Red
This year marked the third year for our annual Re/Max Run for the Red event. I wanted to highlight this event because it gives insight about the role our agents play in the communities they live and do business in. This event continues to grow and grow every year, however, it is only a small part of the bigger picture.
My husband, Dwayne, and I arrived in Goose Bay on Friday, which was the day before run for the red, and we tagged along with Wayne and Brent to pick up the supplies. The experience that stood out was when we went to North Mart (one of the local grocery stores), we filled the cart with hotdog and hamburger supplies, condiments, barbeque sauce and napkins, totalling over $500 and the manager donated ALL of it. This was the second grocery store we visited that day with supplies for us. As Brent and I stood in the aisle of the store, people were coming by consistently and speaking to him and then he started to share with me the impact this was really having in the community.
He told me about Mud Lake, a flood that happened close to Goose Bay where many people were evacuated of their homes. They were on the scene within 20 hours of the disaster with food and supplies. He told me about how they were able to give a little girl a birthday party because these funds were available to them and her Mom did not know how she was going to give her daughter a party before she came into his office. He told me that not only did they raise almost twenty thousand dollars over the last couple years as a result of the event but as a result of the business connections he made with the event, there had been close to thirty or forty thousand dollars given to the Salvation Army. He shared how they consistently provide meals to people who are hungry and the entire time, his smile is so big because he knows in his heart that this is the type of work that really changes people’s lives. Access to these funds means he can bring hope to a hopeless situation and give someone their courage and dignity back in the face of an adverse situation. I was completely overwhelmed with the generosity and what that generosity was really meaning to the people.
That evening, we headed to the College of the North Atlantic to prepare for the family event taking place inside. The venue was also donated!!!! As I helped display the silent auction items I couldn’t help but again feel so thankful that so many people, once again, showed their support by donating generous silent auction items. Local businesses large and small wanted to be a part of giving back to their community.
We laid out tables and chairs for people to sit and eat and also so they could watch the live entertainers that were going to donate their time and perform. A sound system was donated and the gentleman was there getting that all set up. There was a lady with her jumpy castles and a cotton candy machine and she was laying everything out to make sure it all was in the right location and again I was so thankful for the community really coming together to make this happen. Again, this lady who not only spent the evening with us, but also the next day spinning cotton candy, DONATED IT ALL!!!!!
We left feeling so excited for the next day, but not really knowing what to expect with bad weather on the horizon and having a new aspect to the event with the family segment at the College, but in my heart, I felt this was going to be a big success and indeed I was not disappointed.
The next day the bad weather that was predicted came and it was not just bad but it was SNOWING!!!! However that did not stop people from coming to participate in the walk. The first people I saw were the military, all dressed in camouflage with back packs on their backs filled with groceries that were all going to be donated back to the Salvation Army. There were businesses with their staff and others that Brent spent time picking up to come out and be a part of the day.
The barbeque and family time went off without a hitch. The entertainers were amazing and there were lots of great bids on the silent auction items. The kids loved the castles and many people sat and ate and took in the entertainment. At the end of the day when all of the money came in on every aspect of the day, there was $17,000 raised!!!!!!!!! Simply amazing.
I want to encourage anyone who took the time and/or resources to donate to this event and also anyone who came out, when you participate in these types of events, whether through your business or buying a bouncy castle ticket, you are being a part of bringing hope, giving a little girl a birthday party, feeding a hungry belly or simply letting someone know that there are people that care. Good on you Goose Bay, Brent and the Salvation Army and Wayne at Re/Max. So proud of all of you.