Lori Cartwright, a REALTOR® and salesperson with Royal LePage Network Realty Corp., is a beacon of hope and resilience in Red Deer, Alberta. Known for her community-minded spirit, Lori supports countless charities across the region, but nowhere is her mission of supporting others more noticeable than with non-profits that uplift women and children in their darkest moments.
<iframe width="100%" height="385" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/70B6WkhkrkQ?si=GevcDTjCyMl1YyaC" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>As a volunteer advocate at the Red Deer City Victim Services Unit, Cartwright dedicates herself to victims of crisis and trauma by providing home visits, family notifications of sudden death, in-court support, and system navigation. She and the team at Royal LePage Network Realty have further supported the work by providing funding for the unit’s facility dog, which provides therapeutic services to victims and their families at the local RCMP detachment and in court.
“I had domestic violence in my childhood home,” Lori explained. “Learning the resiliency of that and knowing what it takes to come out of that and make your way through it to a place of healing. I never want anyone to feel like there’s scary stuff out there, whatever it is, and that they’re walking through it alone.”
Lori’s crisis support work extends to the Central Alberta Child Advocacy Centre (CACAC) where she’s volunteered since they opened their doors in 2017 and welcomes children into the centre who’ve reported — or are suspected of experiencing — abuse. As one of their child and family advocates, she creates a trusting environment where children feel safe to share their story with interviewers and prosecutors, staying by their side throughout their justice system journey. Lori also assists family members in processing trauma and provides guidance on the many recovery programs that the organization offers. In critical cases, children are seen by the CACAC within hours of suspicion, and Lori will drop everything to be there as they arrive.
<p style="text-align:center;"><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FCentralABCAC%2Fposts%2Fpfbid02yA6nb58CPK71cuspb6DcbGrmBts8snM6Rhep7gqdxrPfx2VcqtYHPZtHaN3Erx3il&show_text=true&width=500" width="500" height="519" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe></p>“Lori’s impact on the Central Alberta Child Advocacy Centre has been game changing,” shared founder and Central Alberta Child Advocacy Centre CEO, Mark Jones. “It doesn’t matter where you look. Lori’s got her fingerprints in there, and it’s in such a positive way.”
Those fingerprints can be seen both in the CACAC’s programming and its 1-year-old Sheldon Kennedy Centre of Excellence. Born out of a motivation to fix systemic failures affecting child survivors, the centre houses like-minded organizations, expediting collaboration and reducing the re-traumatization of children navigating the system. As the first of its kind in North America, the facility has programming spaces, a 16-bed treatment centre, a remote courtroom for youth testimonies, and a 24-hour help line — all run by different agencies. It also provides training for students in Bachelor of Education programs to identify and support potential victims in schools.
Lori and the Royal LePage team have provided crucial funding to support the centre and its work, raising more than $170,000 through annual golf tournaments, her direct donations, and the 2023 Trek for Shelter in Ecuador — something she’s repeating this fall with the Trek for Shelter Cambodia Challenge. The money has supported the CACAC’s Royal LePage Network Family Room, a counselling program for children and their guardians, and funding for two facility dogs which are critical to creating the safe and supportive environment necessary for children to share and begin to heal.
Youth battling critical illnesses in Central Alberta have found a reason to smile and celebrate the impossible thanks to Lori’s efforts with Make-A-Wish Canada. As a fundraiser and local organizer, Lori recruits volunteers, rallies donors, and personally champions the cause in a community where the charity doesn’t have local staff. As a wish-granter she’s personally coordinated more than 20 wish reveals for children in need of a bright moment. The entire wish experience, from the reveal to the big day, is often credited with giving the whole family something to fight towards, carrying young patients through the rest of their treatments and into adulthood.
“She is Make-A-Wish Red Deer,” said Jen Garden, Chapter Director, Northern Alberta, Make-A-Wish Canada. “How she does it is magic really. She finds every possible avenue to integrate the community, their interests and everybody to show the power that they have. And that child sees that so many more people care about their well-being than just their immediate network.”
When Lori Cartwright’s phone rings she doesn’t know if it will be a client looking to sell their home, or one of the many charities that she supports. Either way, this Canadian REALTORS Care® Award nominee is going to answer the call with unwavering dedication and drop everything to walk beside them on the journey ahead.
REALTORS Care® Spotlight shares stories of how featured nominees of the Canadian REALTORS Care® Award are working to make their communities a better place for all.
