Charity
You thought we were passionate about condos?! Just wait till you see how excited and dedicated we are to making the world a better place. Each of our group members loves to give, and does so in different ways.
Early Entrepreneurs Experiment
The condo that built 7 schools
Library in Kenya
This was my life’s greatest moment as of 2009. I went to Kenya with a friend and activist, Zac Whyte, to check out the incredible work that Free The Children was doing in some rural regions – building schools, digging wells, and much more.
After researching their organization and meeting administration teams, management, and on-the-ground facilitators, I gladly donated the funds I had been saving from every condo I sold in 2008 to build the very first library in that region of Kenya.
It felt… REALLY good :)
$10,000 in 3 hours
After compiling years of marketing experience with everything I had learned about fundraising to date, working with a local designer, to create an animated video that I sent to over 30 friends, and went on to raise $10,000… with only 3 hours of work.
The system is much more detailed than just a video, and my dreams for what it can do are very big. All that really matters is that it motivates people to give because they WANT to give, not because they feel obligated or guilted into giving. You can see the whole video here www.destroynormalblog.com (click on $10,000 in 3 hours).
Early Entrepreneurs Experiment
What happens when you give a class of elementary school kids $100 with the challenge of turning it into $500 for charity? We wanted to know, so we went to Margaret Jenkins Elementary, and gave 18 classes $100 each and told them that if they all turned their $100 into $500… it would be enough to build a school house in Kenya for hundreds and hundreds of deserving children JUST LIKE THEM (built by Free the Children).
The teachers were all over it, and the Parents Advisory Council loved the idea. At this exact moment, the school is buzzing, and the kids are excited to help their Kenyan brothers and sisters half way around the world. Taylor visited the classes while handing out the $100 bills and listened to ideas ranging from bake sales, lemonade stands, and candy counting contest, to putting on plays, building bid houses, and doing door to door chores.
Whatever the result, we know that 3 things will come from this: 1) the kids will learn about what is going on in the world (and how they can help) 2) a bit of entrepreneurship through using their creativity and ideas to turn some money into more money, and 3) they will learn how amazing it feels to give… and ideally carry on doing it for a lifetime.
Our team’s personal giving
Each of us are passionate about giving, and in addition to supporting some mutual causes, we also have a few places we give to on a more personal level. And here they are…
Amy – The Mary Manning Centre for child abuse prevention.
Tony – In 2010, Tony traveled with his wife, Erinne, to the Philipines to volunteer and bring supplies to victims of the devastating typhoon. They brough medical supplies, and other needed items to help in any way the could. Tony refers to the experience as life changing, and he looks forward to more humanitarian trips and contribution in a big way. He is currently preparing to run his own “$10,000 in 3 Hours” campaign to build a school in India.
Mike Pearce – Mike volunteers his time at the Victoria Optimists Club in a multitude of ways, and has recently decided to put his golf talent toward helping at risk teens. Mike is giving free golf lessons and mentorship to at risk youth. He is a strong believer that sports are one of the best ways to keep kids on the right track, and give them an environment where they feel safe, connected, and proud.
Andrew – A fun sponsorship that Andrew just took part in was in sending a local girl named XXX to Senegal. She is a Canadian who wanted to go XXX
Mike Janes – CAT LOVER! Mike supports the SPCA, and is passionate about animal care. His cat Ollie was an SPCA cat, and he loves knowing that he is contributing to animals finding loving homes.
Chris – Another animal guy! Chris loves Paws for a Cause, an organization that XXX. His inspiration comes from his “daughter” Maddie – the French Bulldog/Terrier he got 3 years ago.
Serena – Serena played sports all through her school days, and like Mike Pearce, she is big on getting kids involved in team activities as a way to teach them about goals, being part of a community, and building confidence. She supports Kids Sport, which grants $100 - $500 amounts to cover registration fees for one seasons of sport for kids who otherwise couldn’t pay for it.
Taylor – To date, Taylor has been involved most heavily in Global Poverty issues, but he also endeavors to keep involved in local causes. He sits on the Lex Reynolds Adoption and Permanency Committee aimed at finding innovative solutions to displaced children in BC, and has been a past supporter of The Looking Glass Foundation, which supports eating disorder treatment.
Schools in Ecuador
In May 2010, Taylor and two friends went to Ecuador to learn about the issues facing a large number of rural Ecuadorians. They visited villages that Free The Children are operating in, and spent time in Quito.
Sudanese Refugees
While in Egypt in 2009, Taylor and Zac visited schools made for Sudanese refugee students. Due to war in their homeland, these students and their families were forced to move to Cairo where finding schooling was near impossible. A small expat community rallied together and created make-shift schools out of apartments – they were all painted and decorated as if they were a real school. The difference these people were making in those kids lives was and is nothing short of incredible.
Uganda
During our trip to Africa in early 2009, Zac and I (Taylor) visited a small Ugandan village at the top of the Rwenzori mountain range on the border of the Congo. We went to study an innovative dairy goat project initiated by an associate of Zac. The poverty there was beyond words. Without going into detail, that village changed my life, and is one of the biggest reasons philanthropy is weaved into the fabric of my life and The Condo Group.
The condo that built 7 schools
Now this is using condos for good! We are in the midst of transforming a normal condo of less than 400 sqft into the most innovative, space saving, and incredible condo in the country. We have teamed up with Resource Furniture, Sqiftsure Kitchens, CertaPro Painting and Flooring, Designs2020, Tartan PR, and Bianca Bartz Social Media Solutions to create a condo transformation that will hear around the world, and benefit thousands of children at the same time.
Taylor has donated the condo to be transformed, and when it sells he will be giving 100% of the profit to Free The Children in order to build 7 schools in Kenya.
This is something we are beyond excited about, and are so happy to be able to use the connections and resources we have in the Victoria business community to benefit so many people that really deserve it.
