It was my first time but I dare say it won’t be my last…
On Good Friday, April 6, 2012, I was asked to attend the Good Friday Dinner at the Siloam Mission in Winnipeg to represent the Manitoba Real Estate Association as President. Not knowing what to expect, I arrived early, found a parking spot and just simply watched to see things unfolding. Through the windows I saw a busy group of volunteers buzzing around inside the Mission. I made my way into the building where I was greeted with big smiles and many “Welcomes.”
I was given a tour of the building and was very impressed with the facility. Mr. Floyd Perras, Executive Director of the Siloam Mission showed me what the many generous donations of not only money, but equipment, could accomplish. The compassion and dedication from all of the Mission staff was sincere and easily recognizable.
It was now 12 noon and the task at hand was about to begin. Anticipating approximately 600 to 900 people, I remember thinking, “How are they going to keep order with all these people?” The group of approximately 50 volunteers representing the Manitoba Real Estate Association along with Siloam staff sprang into action. There were kitchen staff, food servers, beverage servers, table clearers and people just plainly doing what needed to be done.
I was extremely proud of the way people treated each other, in both directions. Everyone was laughing and smiling! The respect that was shown to the folks that were attending the dinner was reciprocated back to the volunteers. Within a couple of hours, which seemed like only minutes, the dinner service was coming to an end and another successful event had gone off without any major hitches.
I was thanked by many for their delicious meals. It warmed my heart to see each and every person getting a hot, home cooked meal on this great day. As I walked back to my vehicle, I listened to the comments of some of the people that had been inside. One person stated, “That was the best meal I’ve ever had at the Mission.” This stuck with me the entire drive home to Brandon.
The volunteers, sponsors, organizers and those simply behind the scenes all deserve a huge bouquet. It makes me extremely proud to represent an organization that takes the time to give back to the community in such a caring way.
I guess this is why it’s called “REALTORS Care®”…
Tim Melnyk, President
Manitoba Real Estate Association
