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The REALTORS® Association of Edmonton (RAE), founded in 1927, is a professional association of real estate brokers and associates in the Greater Edmonton Area and beyond.
Mark Connolly (00:26.984)
Joining us is Amber Blaskiewicz, the executive director of the Realtors Community Foundation, or RCF, and Marza Pelz... Marza.
Mark Connolly (00:37.894)
We count down 10 seconds here again.
Marla Poelzer (00:38.19)
Ha!
Mark Connolly (00:46.536)
Joining us today is Amber Blaskiewicz, the Executive Director of the Realtors Community Foundation, or RCF, and Marla Pelzer, Executive Director of the Jessica Martel Memorial Foundation. Hello to both of you.
Marla Poelzer (00:59.927)
Hello.
Amber Blaszkiewicz (01:00.27)
So.
Mark Connolly (01:01.704)
So Amber, let's start with you. Tell us a little bit more about the Realtors Community Foundation, RCF, and what you do.
Amber Blaszkiewicz (01:09.198)
Yeah, thanks Mark. The Realtors Community Foundation was established in 1986 with members in the industry that wanted to give back to the community. I'm not very good at math, if.
I add 40 to 1986, it brings us to 2026. So it's a big year for us at the foundation and we're celebrating 40 years of giving back with intentional funding and dedicated time to the Edmonton and greater area.
Mark Connolly (01:39.76)
And you give a lot of money out to a lot of really deserving organizations, and one of those is the Jessica Martel Memorial Foundation. So Marla, tell us about your organization, what it does.
Marla Poelzer (01:50.831)
sure mark.
So the Jessica Martel Memorial Foundation was founded in 2012 to honor the life of Jessica Martel. Jessica Martel was a young mother that lost her life due to domestic homicide in 2009. And her mom, Lynn Rosychuk and five other women actually started our organization at Lynn's kitchen table, always with the purpose and intention to build an emergency shelter.
support survivors who are trying to flee domestic violence. So in 2020, the foundation opened Jessie's house, which is a 35 bed, all gender emergency shelter. And the other parts of our mission really are to break the cycle of domestic violence. So we also do a lot of advocacy, community engagement, awareness as well. And in 2024,
Amber Blaszkiewicz (02:38.262)
Yeah.
Marla Poelzer (02:51.622)
we also opened Eileen's Place which is our second stage housing program.
Mark Connolly (02:58.046)
So Amber, obviously this is a very good group to support. How do you make a determination, because there are so many different organizations that are looking for support, how do you determine who you're going to support?
Amber Blaszkiewicz (03:10.446)
Yeah, Mark, that's a great question. do have three funding cycles each year that our committee and Board of Governors uses an intense rubric to justify who gets those funds. So we do have two pillars of funding. So housing being one of them, which the Jessica Martel Memorial Foundation and the work that they do from emergency shelter to secondary housing fits into that category. And then we do offer community grants as well, which is just really inclusive, accessible community. So all charities are
able to apply for funding with us.
Mark Connolly (03:43.382)
Marla, I know it must be a big part of your job looking for the funding to support the work that you do. How did you come upon the RCF and decide that would be a good fit?
Marla Poelzer (03:56.319)
Yeah, you know, what I really like about this foundation and I think, you know, before I came on as an executive director and built a little bit longer or a bigger partnership with Amber and the foundation is they played actually like a really pivotal role in once Jesse's house opened and COVID hit and we had to move all of our programs that were meant and designed to be
in person to online. And so we had initially applied for a grant with the foundation to support technology so that we could do that when the house first opened. And as well as we built a playground at the emergency shelter. And I think really the most significant investment has been with Eileen's Place, our second stage housing program. And when we were looking at
funding models and we all know the government can't, funding, it's not gonna support everything that we do and that is just the reality and so having a diverse funding portfolio is definitely really important for the foundation and the programs that we have. because Eileen's Place is a second stage housing program and really fits in with the Realtors Foundation model, it was a really good opportunity
opportunity for us to approach them and have a conversation around a longer term investment. And so we're really grateful to have entered into a five-year partnership and have that long-term $100,000 investment played a very pivotal role. And I think what I really like about this partnership or one of the things that I love the most is that it bridges the housing world and our world of
creating a future of domestic acute future free of domestic violence and you know realtors every day get to see what homes mean for people and you know bringing that to families who have really left everything because of violence and helping create a safe a safe place in a home without fears is really important to both of our organizations so yeah it just made a lot of sense for us to approach them.
Marla Poelzer (06:25.808)
and were really happy when they said yes. So yeah, and it's been really great.
Mark Connolly (06:30.5)
Yeah, for sure. And that's a nice way to make that connection between realtors and the kind of work you do, the sheltering of people who need it in an emergency. And for you, Amber, obviously the realtors, know, giving the money to projects like this is really important, but also you've got to raise the money. So how do realtors get involved in volunteering to do that? And what kind of things do you do to try to raise that money?
Amber Blaszkiewicz (06:55.298)
That's a great question. As Marla talked about, diverse funding in our sector is very important. we allow realtors to give per transaction. So we work with all brokerages, all brands to be able to give back. So realtors are able to give per transaction, either a buy or a sell. We offer a monthly donation program. And we also work a lot with industry partners. So when we think kind of broader scope real estate,
There's a lot of people and pieces that make a transaction happen. So mortgage brokers, home inspectors, lawyers, the list really goes on, blinds, floors, whatever you see in your home kind of aligns with the real estate industry. So we do rely on our industry partners a lot to kind of build those relationships from a sponsorship level and a corporate giving level, because the more that we can raise each year, the more we can give back out to organizations like the Jessica Martel Memorial Foundation.
And we also work with realtors and industry partners to host and amplify their events that they're currently working on. So a lot of people have their charity of choice already. And we still like to come in and support and amplify what they're doing in the community. Because at the end of the day, the more that we're doing for the community and really for the realtor brand is what matters.
Mark Connolly (08:16.252)
And Amber, I would say that when you have a foundation like yours that is part of the Realtors Association, it also gives them a feeling of ownership, I would think, and that may motivate people to really want to be part of it as a volunteer, and giving money as well.
Amber Blaszkiewicz (08:33.528)
Yeah, I think people always think that when we are talking about the charitable sector that money is king, which it really is, but without volunteers and the volunteer time, a lot of charities also wouldn't be able to do what they do. So we're dedicated to volunteer monthly at a lot of our charity partners. So.
like the Edmonton Food Bank, we've done the Smile Cookie Campaign with the Jessica Martel Memorial Foundation. So we really try to diversify what we do with our time as well throughout the month.
Mark Connolly (09:06.568)
So Marla, obviously the good work you do with the shelters is very important and that's happening on a day to day basis. What would you like people to know about domestic violence that they maybe don't know and the impact it has on families?
Marla Poelzer (09:20.868)
Well, that's a very loaded question. Yeah, I mean, I think how I would answer that mark is
When we look honestly at gender-based violence, we see deep-rooted intersections of failures in justice and in housing, income support, mental health, addiction, and how we assess risk. I think when you look at Jesse's house and you look at Eileen's place, our two shelters, which is the core of what we do, really sit within those intersections.
intersections and you know it really just shows you know how all of those systemic gaps can show up on one family's doorstep and you know there's a lot of recent research that's coming out and I mean I think these are things that we should you know I guess I know but what people don't know is that the cost of doing nothing and addressing domestic violence
really does impact us for the long term. the research that's recently come out is showing that domestic violence cost Canada over $700 million in 2024. And local research, this is coming out of Calgary. Lana Wells is a researcher that has really dedicated a lot of her career in gender-based violence and addressing some of those root causes.
and in her research Calgary alone is showing a 40 million dollar cost annually in 2024. And so I think we can safely apply that to you know our area and so it does cost more to do nothing. And when you look at the investments to prevention and early intervention it's very small in comparison you know to not addressing it.
Marla Poelzer (11:27.67)
aside from the cost, think, you know, really worst case scenario is people do lose their lives. And so it really, really takes all of us like we do need that accountability and we do need that investment and, you know, community partners like Community Realtor Foundation is really modeling, you know, courageous ways to invest and supporting the community in ways that our system maybe hasn't caught up yet.
And so yeah, I think that that'd probably be the best way that I would, you know, really, really answer that. But yeah.
Mark Connolly (12:05.758)
No, I think that's well done because obviously it is a very difficult subject to deal with. very, you know, the systemic issues go very deep and, you know, we're just sort of dipping into it a little bit here. But I thank you for that because I think people have to understand that it is much bigger than one person against one person and all the things that influence them. So I think that was well answered for you, Marla.
Marla Poelzer (12:30.86)
Yeah, for sure. Well, yeah, and I think people don't realize that it shows up in our emergency rooms and, you know, in the police department, it shows up in our economy, it shows up in schools, it shows up in the workplace, right? And so, you know, you might not be directly impacted, but indirectly, we all are. And the stats are showing that, you know, a few years ago, one in six people were impacted by domestic violence.
really high and now you those numbers are actually indicating it's one in three. So unfortunately the numbers are not going down and so you know we do need proper funding and in this case I think with Realtors Foundation and Realtors and Housing I mean we need if we continue to underfund you know proper housing for people I mean that really directly impacts the ability for
Mark Connolly (13:07.314)
Wow.
Marla Poelzer (13:30.694)
women or just people to leave domestic violence and to have stability.
Mark Connolly (13:38.782)
Well, I think a lot of people listening probably will be very motivated to help by that. So I'll ask this to both of you. How can people get involved if they would like to? So Amber, obviously the Realtors Foundation focuses on realtors, but also you have events and that sort of thing. And I'm sure there's lots of ways that people could be involved.
Amber Blaszkiewicz (13:57.827)
Yeah, before I answer that question, Mark, I wanted to say, like, I think the beautiful thing that Marla kind of talked about is that our sector is not just like a like, siloed
base. though that their organization focuses on domestic violence, all of those other spots of the sector kind of intertwined with what we do at our foundation. And being a grassroots community foundation allows us to give back to all of those pieces and spots that kind of lead into the domestic violence space. So I just kind of wanted to touch on is that
Mark Connolly (14:33.918)
You have a positive impact on those.
Amber Blaszkiewicz (14:37.25)
The food insecurity, the accessibility to education, all of those things kind of tie into the larger picture. And so I'm really honored to be able to work at a foundation that does support all of the sector and all of the things that kind of tie into what we need to do to be a better community. yeah. Sorry, Mark, I just really wanted to touch on that part.
Mark Connolly (14:55.506)
That's fabulous. Let's talk about how people can get involved now, Amber.
Marla Poelzer (14:58.595)
Right.
Mark Connolly (15:02.098)
No, that's absolutely great. Loved it.
Amber Blaszkiewicz (15:04.386)
From a fund development standpoint or a raising money standpoint, you don't have to be a realtor to give back to our organization. So we accept monthly donors from anybody. So if you are in the industry or you aren't and you're motivated just to give back to your community, we would love to receive your funds. And we also do host events throughout the year. So our Goal for Charity tournament that takes place in July is one of our largest fundraisers of the year.
Anyone is more than welcome to come out and go for volunteer. All of the money raised at that event goes back to organizations like the Jessica Martel Memorial Foundation and all of the other organizations that we support. And really just everything that we do is on our social media and we welcome anyone to get involved, realtor, industry partner, or just general community member.
Mark Connolly (15:55.036)
And Marley, if someone was motivated to want to support your organization, how would they do that?
Marla Poelzer (15:59.937)
well...
Well there's lots of ways people can support. like Amber had, she touched on the fund development side. So we, you know, as a for-impact or a non-profit organization, obviously we do, aside from government funding and our partnerships with, you know, organizations like the Community Realtors Foundation, we do rely on community donations as well. So people can go on our website. It's full of information, so definitely would encourage people to take a look at our website.
We also have lots of volunteer opportunities. had spoke of it so we also have a kitchen and so Amber maybe we should collaborate on having realtors to come in and cook in the kitchen. Our clients always really love when community members come in and support at Jessie's house so volunteerism is really big for us and
I think on a larger, broader scale, people can really also invest in not just in their resources, but also in their influence and really creating positive change and really having an active role in ending domestic violence and not just supporting us as an organization. But there's lots of ways people can get involved directly and really advocating for positive change.
Mark Connolly (17:36.51)
Well, I hope folks take that as a call to action and they do get involved. Amber, as you mentioned earlier, it's the 40th anniversary of the foundation. That must be an exciting year for you. Is there lot going on?
Amber Blaszkiewicz (17:47.619)
There is a lot going on. So on top of kind of just the usual impact storytelling, we will be celebrating in June with a big event and a big announcement. We are going to be hitting a $1 million all-time donation to Habitat for Humanity. So that will kind of be our key milestone and key announcements throughout the year.
But we're really just excited to celebrate everything that we've accomplished over the last 40 years. Since inception, we've given out $6.4 million and are really hoping to really grow that as the years go on. So a really big pivotal year for us and not only celebrating all of those that have kind of been with us since inception, but really looking forward to what the future holds.
Mark Connolly (18:36.776)
That sounds wonderful. Now we always finish off our interviews here with a question. This goes to each of you. What do you think makes a house a home?
Amber, you want to start?
Amber Blaszkiewicz (18:49.452)
loaded question. But the first word that came to my mind was happy. So
I think it might be a very simple answer, but when I go home at the end of the day and I walk home to my toddler running into my arms and we just kind of cook dinner as a family, watch TV as a family, play monster trucks as a family, all of those things just kind of come back to me being genuinely happy when I walk in that door when I get home. And I hope that everyone has that and everyone deserves that.
Mark Connolly (19:25.852)
And for you, Marla.
Marla Poelzer (19:28.324)
That's a really good answer Amber. Yeah, I would definitely, that would.
be on the top of my list. of course, with the work that we do at the foundation, definitely safety. think everybody needs, they deserve to feel safe in their home. They deserve to be loved and treated with respect and dignity are definitely all key elements. And sometimes we take that for granted. And yeah, I think I would close with not everybody has a safe home. And for me personally, it's my dog. I love my dog. He's great.
Mark Connolly (20:04.094)
two very good answers. Thank you so much for doing this with us. We appreciate it. We wish you the best of luck in both your missions.
Marla Poelzer (20:12.836)
Thank
Amber Blaszkiewicz (20:13.08)
Thank you, Mark.
Mark Connolly (20:17.832)
Good stuff.
Mark Connolly (20:22.407)
Yeah.
Yeah, those are good answers. Those are really good ones. was thinking the exact, Marla, when I asked you Marla, I was thinking, I bet she'll say safety.
Amber Blaszkiewicz (20:34.424)
Yeah.
Marla Poelzer (20:34.853)
It was kind of a gift, it was a given for sure, it's true. There's a lot of, I mean, when you think of one in three people, our impact.
Mark Connolly (20:43.9)
Yeah.