RE/MAX affiliates like Pat Werestiuk go Beyond the Balloon to help their communities.
It was on his 60th birthday that Pat, a RE/MAX agent from Winnipeg, MB, met a young man named Austin Saunders.
“I went out for a walk with the dogs and I saw a big tent in the woods,” says Pat.
“He was prepared to be there for the winter.”
Twenty years old, suffering from moderate Asperger Syndrome, Austin had been turned away from homeless shelters because of his condition. His lack of a permanent residence meant he was unable to receive government aid.
“All of a sudden, these light bulbs were going on in my head, like, how can I help this guy? What can I do for him?”
Pat rallied the community around the intelligent, soft-spoken boy he met in the woods, which gave Austin food, furniture and a roof over his head. With mental illness, it’s hard to help an affliction that we can’t see. Pat continues to help any way he can, whether it’s by raising funds for people suffering from cancer, giving to the homeless and the hungry, or through annual fundraisers for local children’s hospitals. He gives freely of his time and energy to help the people in his community.
“I try to give back what I can.”
Thank you, Pat, for going #BeyondtheBalloon.
