DESIRÉE DECOSTE

STAFF WRITER

A Carrying Place couple have parlayed success in the stock markets towards a significant investment into safe, local housing for women in need of shelter.

After purchasing some low priced stocks, Chris and Shirley Van Steen diligently played the long game and waited till the stocks went up significantly and chose to sell and donate the profits to Alternatives for Women.

The couple presented $27,300 to the local women’s support program on Wednesday to help upgrade their Second Stage Transitional Housing program.

Alternatives Executive Director Leah Morgan explained the funding will allow for upgrades to the group’s second stage transitional apartment building.

“I think it’s important for people to know our second stage transitional housing program is not funded by the province. Our agency does receive funding for our counselling programs but our second stage shelter program relies solely on donations and fundraising and the small amounts of rent the temporary residents pay. Their rent is based on their income so that helps with the utilities but we depend solely on the generosity of the community and people like the Van Steens,” Morgan told the Gazette.

Investors with appreciation on a stock choosing to donate it to a non-profit organization means a break on capital gains and the benefitting organization gets the gain without the tax. It’s a real benefit because the organization get all the money.

“We are very lucky and very fortunate in the last several years in terms of stock market investing that has been really productive,” Chris Van Steen stated.

The Van Steens, have lived in Prince Edward County permanently since 2016 and feel beyond lucky and blessed to be able to make such a sizeable donation to a good cause.

“We are so blessed to be able to make this donation in the community we live in,” Shirley Van Steen expressed. “It’s wonderful to be in a position to be able to do this and we love being in Prince Edward County, as Chris says it’s one of the wisest decisions we ever made to move here and we’re so happy to be able to give back and to live the life that we have here.”

When deciding to donate, Alternatives for Women became an easy choice as Shirley holds women’s shelters and counselling services close to her heart as she worked in housing for many years and donated to similar organizations areas the couple were living at the time.

Morgan expressed how blown away she was with the level of generosity in this community when she joined Alternatives for Women and the Van Steen contribution only further cemented how caring Prince Edward County is.

“When we had our GoFundMe campaign to renovate this house, the Alternatives Board set a goal for $50,000 and I was wondering if we would make that goal we did thanks to the incridible level of genorsity in Prince Edward County. Every donation such as this one means so much to our goal and our services.”

For more information on Alternatives for Women please visit www.alternativesforwomen.org

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