Two Canadian real estate professionals with deep ties to St. Thomas are reflecting after completing a nearly 100-kilometre trek across Cambodia — a challenge designed to raise money and awareness for women and children experiencing domestic violence.
Royal LePage agents Jennifer Greenberg and Michael Loewith were part of the Cambodia Challenge for Shelter, a national initiative encouraging realtors to raise funds and train for an intense, five-day adventure. The pair joined dozens of participants from across the country, each required to pay their own travel costs and raise a minimum of $6000 for the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation.
Greenberg says the idea to get involved began when the Cambodia trek was announced in late 2024.
Initially, the two set a fundraising goal of $25,000. Today, they’ve nearly doubled it, raising more than $46,000, with hopes of reaching $50,000 by year’s end.
A significant portion of Greenberg and Loewith’s fundraising will support Valora Place and St. Thomas-Elgin Second Stage Housing. Although their real estate careers are largely based in the GTA, they operate the Alma College Square Apartments, and say it was important that the community they work in daily also benefits.
The five-day trek itself pushed participants far beyond the sightseeing experience tourists might expect. The group camped throughout Cambodia, hiking through mountains, jungles, and river crossings — a foreign experience for both trekkers, especially Greenberg, who describes herself as “a city girl” who had never camped before.
But while they anticipated the physical challenge, neither expected the emotional impact. Greenberg explains that each day at lunch, the group was read a letter written by someone impacted by domestic violence.
For Loewith, those moments quickly reframed the difficulty of the trek, underscoring the realities women and children face when fleeing violent homes, often with little more than the clothes on their backs.
Their fundraising efforts for the trek were equally community-driven: events held for women in real estate, corporate partnerships, and even a month-long “Shimmy for Shelter” dance challenge on social media that unexpectedly brought in more than $5,000. At Alma College Square Apartments, residents have been contributing toiletries, toys, mittens, and other essential items, the pair says can make a world of difference to families arriving at shelters with nothing.
Greenberg and Loewith say the most important message they want people to hear is that no act of giving is too small. Whether it’s a $10 donation, a tube of toothpaste, volunteering time, or simply supporting someone quietly, every contribution matters.
And while the duo is still processing the emotional weight and meaning of the challenge, both say they expect this will not be the last time they take part in a Shelter Foundation trek.
Since its founding in 1998, the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation has become Canada’s largest public foundation dedicated exclusively to helping women and children escaping domestic violence.
The charity supports up to 200 shelters each year, funds national prevention programs, and partners with initiatives like sheltersafe.ca, Teen Healthy Relationship programs through the Canadian Women’s Foundation, the Moosehide Campaign, and services supporting survivors with brain injuries.
Greenberg and Loewith’s Cambodia Challenge for Shelter page remains active, with donations accepted until the end of December.
Written by: Kennedy Freeman
