De-Clutter For A Cause: Annual Royal Lepage National Garage Sale for Shelter Returns on May 12, 2012

#GarageSale4Shelter @RLPShelterFdn @Royal_LePage

100 percent of funds raised at charity garage sale supports local women's shelters and programs to end family violence

TORONTO, April 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ - On Saturday, May 12, more than 120 Royal LePage offices and other community locations across Canada will be transformed into a destination for bargain hunters with the return of the National Garage Sale for Shelter in support of the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation - an organization committed to supporting women's shelters and ending violence against women and children. 

Now in its fourth year, this Mother's Day weekend event brings local residents together with Royal LePage REALTORS® to raise much-needed funds and awareness to help break the cycle of family violence.  Since 2009, the National Garage Sale for Shelter has raised more than $850,000 in support of women's shelters across the country and to help fund prevention programs to end violence in Canadian homes.

"Violence against women affects thousands of Canadian families," says Shanan Spencer-Brown, Executive Director of the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation. "Half of all women in Canada have experienced at least one incident of physical or sexual violence since the age of 16 and 360,000 children are exposed to family violence every year. That's why we are so committed to raising funds to provide a safe haven for women and children and to stop the cycle of family violence."

All administrative expenses of the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation are underwritten by Royal LePage and the event's sponsors cover all other costs, so 100 percent of the revenue generated supports local women's shelters and helps give hope to thousands of women and children escaping family violence.

Members of the community are encouraged to participate and help de-clutter for a cause. Donate gently used items to your local participating Royal LePage office and stop by the National Garage Sale for Shelter location in your neighbourhood on Saturday, May 12 to find some great bargains and help support a worthy cause.

Event Details:

• What: 4^th Annual National Garage Sale for Shelter
• When: Saturday, May 12, 2012
• Where: Across Canada! Click here to find your closest National Garage Sale for Shelter location
• Why: To support the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation, Canada's largest public foundation dedicated exclusively to funding women's shelters and violence prevention and education

Want more info? Click here to watch a video about the National Garage Sale for Shelter. Click here for a fact sheet on the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation.

Can't attend but still want to make a donation? Click here to make an online donation.

Now in its 14^th year, the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation supports close to 200 shelters across the country, helping more than 30,000 women and children every year. It's also committed to funding violence prevention and education programs through its partnership with the Canadian Women's Foundation. Since its inception, the Shelter Foundation has raised more than $14 million with the help and support of generous Royal LePage agents, brokers, managers and administrative staff, along with members of the communities in which they live and work.

"Helping You Is What We Do™ is not just a tagline, it's our corporate philosophy and it translates into a collective commitment to giving back to the community," says Phil Soper, Royal LePage's President and CEO. "Royal LePage professionals are tireless in their efforts to create safer homes and safer communities through the Shelter Foundation."

The National Garage Sale for Shelter is also made possible with the generous support of our sponsors: TD Canada Trust Mobile Mortgage Specialists (National Presenting sponsor) and Atlas Van Lines Canada (In-kind Moving and Transportation sponsor).

For more information on the National Garage Sale for Shelter, how you can participate and to find your local Garage Sale site, please visit www.royallepage.ca/shelter.

About the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation

The Royal LePage Shelter Foundation is Canada's largest public foundation dedicated exclusively to funding women's shelters and ending violence against women and children. Through agent commission contributions and the fundraising activities of the Royal LePage network, we have raised more than $14 million to help provide a safe haven and new beginnings for more than 30,000 women and children each year. To break the cycle of violence, the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation also supports long-term violence prevention and education programs. All funds raised by Royal LePage offices remain in their local community and because Royal LePage pays all administrative costs, 100 percent of all money and effort goes toward this important cause.

About Royal LePage

Serving Canadians since 1913, Royal LePage is the country's leading provider of services to real estate brokerages, with a network of 14,000 real estate professionals in over 600 locations nationwide. Royal LePage is the only Canadian real estate company to have its own charitable foundation, the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation, dedicated to funding women's shelters and prevention and education programs aimed at ending family violence. Royal LePage is a Brookfield Real Estate Services Inc. company, a TSX-listed corporation trading under the symbol TSX:BRE.

For more information visit www.royallepage.ca.

SOURCE Royal LePage Shelter Foundation

Video with caption: "Royal LePage Shelter Foundation Video". Video available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLT7IzfV4LY&feature=youtu.be

Image with caption: "National Garage Sale for Shelter logo (CNW Group/Royal LePage Shelter Foundation)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20120426_C9150_PHOTO_EN_12741.jpg

Image with caption: "Phil Soper, President and CEO of Royal LePage (2nd from right) visits the 2011 Royal LePage National Garage Sale for Shelter location in Oakville, Ontario, one of the largest garage sales in the country. (CNW Group/Royal LePage Shelter Foundation)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20120426_C9150_PHOTO_EN_12746.jpg