A 30th birthday might be cause for a night on the town or, for someone really looking to mark the milestone, a trip to Las Vegas.
But Keith Roy, a successful Vancouver realtor, figures his 30th birthday is a good time to make a splash of a different kind.
Roy has organized 30 for 30, happening Thursday night at the Vancouver Art Gallery, in an effort to raise $30,000 for Habitat for Humanity.
Habitat for Humanity is currently buildling a 27-unit townhome project in Burnaby on Government Street.
"A friend of mine did something very similar for his 30th birthday, and over the last five years, I started to think this was something I'd like to do for my own 30th birthday," Roy told the NOW on Monday morning.
Roy says there aren't many philanthropic events aimed at a younger generation.
"I wanted to create an opportunity for people in their late 20s and early 30s that was affordable, to get involved in a philanthropic effort," he says.
Dubbed as an evening of networking, entertainment and fundraising for the city's young professional community, the event's tickets are $30, which includes a glass of wine.
Roy says the tickets, just 500 of them in all, are going fast and they're hoping to have them all sold by the day of the event. There is also going to be a silent auction with items ranging from a hockey jersey signed by Trevor Linden, to a custom made suit, B.C. Lions tickets, chocolate baskets and more.
Roy says he spent a fair bit of time settling on an organization to be the recipient of the event's fundraising efforts, but said Habitat for Humanity provided a perfect complement to his goals of helping in his own backyard and his understanding of what being a homeowner can mean to people.
"This really helps give families a home, and that's so valuable," he says.
Roy points to Habitat client's Lisa and Frank Fedorak, who are currently helping to build their own home in the Habitat project in Burnaby, as an example of the kinds of families who benefit from the organization.
The Fedoraks, who will be featured in an upcoming story in the NOW, faced financial challenges as a result of dealing with an extremely rare genetic condition in their family. The disease took the life of their first daughter; their second daughter was saved by lengthy treatment and their third child did not carry the recessive gene.
The pair are currently in the process of completing their "sweat equity" in their new home: Homeowners must volunteer 500 hours, either doing hands-on building on-site, or working in Habitat's Re-Store, towards their new home and the homes of their future neighbours in the Burnaby complex.
Habitat for Humanity builds homes through donation of money, materials, land and labour; successful applicant families are able to purchase the homes at cost, with a no-interest mortgage.
Tickets can be purchased online at www.30for30vancouver.com
