Sutton REALTORS® Help Raise $13,000 for a Toddler with Cancer

Halifax, NS – As a new REALTOR® at Sutton Group – Professional Realty, Dawn MacDonald never expected the outpouring of support offered by her colleagues. Just four months after joining, she received some heartbreaking news: her 3-year-old niece Annabelle was diagnosed with Lymphoma (cancer). This was particularly difficult for the immediate family since Dawn’s sister Vero was caring for a new baby and they did not have extended health care. Although the family was in the process of applying for insurance, without it in place at the time of the diagnosis, many expensive cancer medicines would not be covered.

“A friend of the family decided to hold a benefit for my niece,” says Dawn. “We began organizing the event just a week after her diagnosis. The benefit was to be a dinner and live auction. As soon as Sutton heard about it, they jumped on board with whatever they could do to help such as buying and selling tickets and donating auction items. One of our administrators, Nicole, helped to arrange a band ‘Without Armour’, which happens to feature a former Sutton REALTOR® named Margo Whitman.”

“To raise awareness and bring in much-needed cash for the auction, one of our other office administrators, Karen Plume-Templin, offered to shave her head! She put out the challenge to our office to raise $1,500. One of our brokers, Adam Hennigar, also offered to shave his head or sport a crazy hairstyle for a week, if we reached the target. On the morning of October 21, all of the cheques and cash rolled in totalling $2,000. Everyone packed into the office to witness the haircuts. Adam asked people what sort of haircut they wanted for him and the consensus was a pink Mohawk!”

“Adam walked around with a bright pink Mohawk for more than a week-that takes courage! Karen had only met my niece once but she offered to do this extraordinary thing to help my family. She never thought twice about it. Truly a selfless act!”

The dinner and auction at the Jolly Mug was also a great success raising approximately $11,000 for Anabelle’s treatment. Dawn notes that there were “tables and tables” filled with items donated by individuals and local businesses. Many of her colleagues attended the dinner and auction to give further financial and emotional support. “It was overwhelming,” says Dawn. “Everyone came together and really supported my family.” Anabelle has now begun her treatment, which is expected to last two to three years.

Sutton is a 100% Canadian-owned and operated company with more than 9,000 REALTORS® in over 200 offices nationwide. To find out more about Sutton, visit www.sutton.com. To learn more about Sutton Spirit, visit www.suttonspirit.com.

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