WINNIPEG, MANITOBA – Over 130 REALTORS® and their friends from across Manitoba golfed through record high temperatures Tuesday to raise $11,600 for a new foundation dedicated to affordable housing and homelessness initiatives.

The Manitoba Real Estate Association (MREA) hosted its inaugural Charity Golf Classic at Glendale Golf and Country Club in support of the newly created MREA Shelter Foundation, said Foundation Chair Deborah Goodfellow.

“We’re dedicated to the development of strong, vibrant communities in Manitoba,” said Goodfellow. “And in this golf tournament, there were no losers because all of the proceeds are donated to the MREA Shelter Foundation.”

Reg Black made it one of his first objectives as MREA’s 2006-2007 President, representing hundreds of real estate agents across the province, to create a golf tournament to launch the new foundation.

“I wanted to launch the Shelter Foundation with the golf tournament, to raise its profile and to start to build its funds. I’m very impressed with the response today. I think everybody is. And it happened because of the efforts of those on the Shelter Foundation Committee, as well as the staff at the MREA. And it’s even more impressive because this is the first time we’ve done this.”

“Our members came from all over Manitoba for this tournament,” said Black. “It just goes to show that they believe in ideas like affordable housing and homelessness initiatives.”

In attendance were two teams from Siloam Mission, which MREA has done a great deal of work with in the last year in support of its work with the homeless of Manitoba. REALTORS® from as far away as Dauphin and Brandon made the trip to help raise money for the Shelter Foundation, including Turtle Mountain PC MLA Cliff Cullen and NDP La Verendrye MLA and Minister of Infrastructure and Transportation Ron Lemieux.

Thank you to our sponsors (Hashimoto & Associates, Panasonic Document Systems, SCM Adjusters Canada Ltd., The Media Bank, Woodhaven Lexus Toyota, The Gimmie Girls, The MREA Past President's, Canadian Condominium Institute – Manitoba, Wyatt Insurance & Financial Services, Ventura Custom Homes Ltd., Hep Communications, Scotiabank, Aon Reed Stenhouse Inc., RE/MAX performance realty, Meyers Norris Penny, Signs Now, Aikins MacAulay & Thorvaldson, RBC Mortgage & Milne Office Systems), golfers, and everyone who donated prizes for the tournament, it was a success because of your generous support.

If you missed the tournament but would like to make a difference, donations to the Shelter Foundation can be made out to MREA Shelter Foundation and sent to MREA at 2nd fl. 1240 Portage Ave. Winnipeg MB R3G 0T6.