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RBC hosts Coffee Morning for Matthew’s House

Four Abbotsford branches participate in fundraiser running April 29 to May 3
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Harv Minhas (left) and his RBC team (from left) Jessica Wright, Beant Gill, Sitwala Huhongo and Sean Meier are looking forward to holding a Coffee Morning for Matthew’s House. RBC will host the event at four of its Abbotsford locations. (Submitted photo)

When Harv Minhas first toured Matthew’s House, he says he was “blown away.”

He was somewhat familiar with the house, but it wasn’t until he had a chance to visit those who live there and see the staff in action that he realized how special the home really is.

Matthew’s House is a “home away from home” that provides care for youth ages 16 to 25 who live with complex care needs.

“What I saw was that this is truly a home. It’s amazing the way the staff care for Austin (and the others who live there). They are passionate about their work,” Minhas says. “I was just speechless.”

It confirmed for Minhas that he had made the right decision to get his team at Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) involved in this year’s Coffee Morning for Matthew’s House.

The event is a fundraiser in which coffee and goodies are provided to staff and customers, and donations are accepted for Matthew’s House.

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Minhas, a business account manager for RBC, said the company encourages all its staff to be actively involved in the communities where they serve customers.

When Minhas was looking for opportunities for his team to volunteer, Matthew’s House came to mind.

He contacted Alan Cavin, director for resource development at Communitas Supportive Care Society, the organization that facilitates Matthew’s House.

Cavin told him about Coffee Morning and Minhas knew right away that he had found a great way for RBC to get involved.

Minhas says that what impacted him most about his visit was meeting Austin and learning about his progress since he has come to live at Matthew’s House.

“His story really touched my heart,” Minhas says. “When I shared that story with my team and told them about Coffee Morning, they were all immediately on board and excited to participate.”

All four Abbotsford RBC branches – Clearbrook, Sevenoaks, Whatcom and Highstreet – will host a Coffee Morning, which runs April 29 to May 3.

When asked what he would say to other business owners who are wondering if they could host a Coffee Morning, he says he wouldn’t need to say much.

“I’d say, ‘Why not?’ I mean, why wouldn’t you? It’s so easy, it really doesn’t take much to participate and you’re supporting something really great, right here in your own community.”

Visit mattshouse.ca/coffeemorning for more information about the event and how to get involved.