Building Communities Beyond the Bricks and Mortar
By Lucas on Dec 02, 2014
Every year, builders and developers in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) launch campaigns to raise money for the neighbourhoods in which they’re building and other charitable organizations. As a part of our 2014 Year in Review, we want to look back and acknowledge the variety of ways the industry gave back to the community.
Listed below are a few of the events and initiatives launched by builders and developers in 2014:
Builder/Developer: Mansouri Living
Cause: Rethink Breast Cancer
Amount Raised: $12,000
At the beginning of the year in February, Mansouri Living threw a pre-Valentine’s Day soiree at The Perry presentation centre in Toronto. There was a silent auction with a variety of goods up for grabs, from jewelry to Raptors tickets. The main part of the silent auction were the bouquets, which were designed and arranged by four bachelors and four husbands in the design and real estate industries.
Builder/Developer: Adi Development Group
Cause: Canadian Diabetes Association
Amount Raised: $7,000
In March, Adi Development hosted an event called ARTINDEX at the LINK Condos + Towns presentation centre in Burlington. The event featured a variety of art pieces up for auction, including a couple paintings that were live painted at the preview launch of LINK. The highest selling painting was by Sanjay Patel; it sold for $1,200!
Builder/Developer: Aspen Ridge Homes, BILD, Democrat Homes, Fieldgate, Geranium Homes, Tribute Communities, Lindvest, OPUS Homes, and others!
Cause: Habitat for Humanity
Amount Raised: $30,000
Last June, many builders and others in the industry put together softball teams for a one-day tournament to raise money for Habitat for Humanity. MNP LLP won the big trophy, beating Fieldgate in the final, and Tribute was awarded third place.
Organization: yBILD
Cause: Habitat for Humanity
Amount Raised: $30,000
Shortly after the softball tournament, yBILD hosted a charity volleyball tournament at the Polson Pier Docks Beach Courts. The event was generously sponsored by Tridel and MMM Group, and the courts were sponsored by Metrus Developments, Real Estate Talk Show, North Star Homes, Tribute Communities, Zancor, and the water was sponsored by Martino Contractors.
Organization: BILD
Cause: Habitat for Humanity
Amount Raised: $45,000
Also in the summer, BILD’s annual Race for Humanity and Charity BBQ was a huge success, once again raising a significant amount for Habitat for Humanity. More than 650 industry professionals attended the two events.
Builder/Developer: Aurora 2C Landowners Group
Cause: Southlake Regional Hospital Foundation
Amount Raised: $750,000
The Aurora 2C Landowners Group is comprised of Arista Homes, Brookfield Homes, CountryWide Homes, Fieldgate Homes, Greenpark, Lindvest/Aurora Glen, Malone Given Parsons, Mattamy Homes, The Meadows of Aurora, Metrus Developments, OPUS Homes, Paradise Homes, Royal Cliff, TACC Developments, and Treasure Hill Homes. They are all building in Aurora and their combined contribution to the local hospital will go towards new technology and equipment.
Builder/Developer: Kylemore Communities
Cause: A variety of Markham-based charities and organizations
Amount Raised: $1 million over last 7 years
The Kylemore Kares Golf Tournament is an annual event event which is hosted at Angus Glen Golf Club in Markham. Last summer, the 7th tournament was a huge success; live music spiced up the event, great prizes were given away, and everyone enjoyed a big breakfast before hitting the links.
Builder/Developer: Adi Development Group
Cause: Canadian Diabetes Association
Amount Raised: $12,500
In October, Adi Development threw another event to raise more money for the CDA. The REBOOT event involved a one-hour bootcamp circuit and a diabetic-friendly barbecue. The turnout was greater than expected and Adi ended up raising around $20,000 in total for the CDA this year.
Builder/Developer: Geranium Homes
Cause: Whitchurch-Stouffville Food Bank
Amount Raised: $8,600
The Food Drive kicked off at the beginning of September and collected non-perishable food items and money for the entire month. Geranium also donated $50 for every home sold at Cardinal Point this year.
Builder/Developer: Devron Developments and LeMine Group
Cause: SickKids Foundation
Amount Raised: $30,000
When Devron and LeMine launched The Academy Condos in Scarborough, they announced that they would donate a certain amount for every person who attended the preview opening of the development. The preview was packed, the condo sold out of all 339 units, and Devron and LeMine stuck to their word and made a large donation to SickKids!
Builder/Developer: Lifetime Developments
Cause: Lifeline Foundation
Amount Raised: $100,000
In the fall, over 500 industry professionals dressed up in tennis whites for the Smashed Ping Pong Tournament at Muzik Nightclub. Thanks to Lifetime’s friends and family in the industry, the charity tournament raised triple what it has in the past. Lifeline is dedicated to raising awareness and providing aid for the homeless and at-risk in Toronto.
Builder/Developer: Summerhill Homes
Cause: Skate to Great
Amount Raised: TBA
At the end of November, Summerhill Homes announced that they were partnering with Skate to Great to collect new and gently used skates and hockey equipment at their West Shore Beach Club sales office. Skate to Great aims to provide all Canadian children with the opportunity to skate. Summerhill is collecting equipment until February 28, 2015.
Builder/Developer: Concert Properties
Cause: Youth Without Shelter
Amount Raised: TBA
This is another campaign that just launched. For every condo unit sold at the first building of The Kip District in Etobicoke, concert will donate enough to provide emergency accommodation for one homeless youth for the equivalent of one month.
THANK YOU GTA BUILDERS AND DEVELOPERS
These are only a few of the builders and developers that have contributed to charities this year. With just the contributions listed here, the industry has donated well over $1 million to communities in the GTA. When the whole industry is taken into consideration, you can bet that everyone has made a strong impact on those in need. If you work for a builder or developer that contributed to a community this year, let us know on Facebook or Twitter!
