A Coquitlam woman is going the distance to ensure that Tri-Cities women and children fleeing abusive situations have shelter, food and supports to rebuild their lives.
In July, Rebecca Permack of Burke Mountain Homes, Royal LePage West, will spend eight days crossing difficult terrain in Iceland and living off the grid in a small tent to raise awareness of and funds for Tri-Cities' most vulnerable families.
This is the second time Permack has participated in the Royal LePage Shelter challenge and this year she hopes to exceed or beat the $25,000 she raised in 2015 for Tri-City Transitions, a local society that runs a shelter and programs for women and children fleeing abusive families.
"The trek is to raise funds and awareness and live without all the necessities — like the women and children who have to flee their homes," Permack told The Tri-City News.
In 2015, Permack and her husband, Cory, completed the Machu Picchu Challenge and she was the top fundraiser. By hitting up friends and family, and holding various events, including the seventh annual Burke Mountain Community Easter Egg Hunt on April 14 at Galloway Park, she hopes to meet or exceed her fundraising goal, noting that every penny goes directly to Tri-City Transitions.
The funds are crucial, according to Tri-CityTransitions spokesperson Carol Metz Murray, who said Permack's contribution helps cover the costs of a resiliency program that teaches financial literacy, nutritional cooking on a budget and other life skills to women living at the shelter and second-stage housing.
"We have to fundraise for resiliency," she said. "It is a separate stand-alone program. We do not get any funding from our main funder of the transition house for this kind of thing."
Murray called Permack a "very loving, very direct" and "very focused" woman who "just really believes in the cause."
Permack said she has fundraised for a number of causes over the years but feels she is doing more by helping an organization close to home.
Meanwhile, training is about to start for the physically demanding trek, which will see Permack walk nearly 100 km over six days, crossing difficult terrain in unpredictable weather. To get ready, Permack needs to get into shape and she expects to be hitting the hills around town very shortly.
"We're going to be hiking a lot," she said. It's about mileage. We are going to be doing a lot of stuff around here and the North Shore."
To sponsor the Permack team, visit here.
The Royal LePage Shelter Foundation has raised over $22 million and is Canada's largest public foundation dedicated to supporting women's shelters and ending violence against women and children.
Note: an earlier version of this article stated that tickets could be purchased in advance for the Burke Montain Easter Egg Hunt in suport of the Permack Team at Galloway Park on April 14. That information was not correct. There is onsite registration only.
