Avison Young to hold third annual Global Day of Giving in five countries

Employees in all of the firm's markets to take part in community activities on October 13

TORONTO, Oct. 11, 2016 /CNW/ - Mark Rose, Chair and CEO of Avison Young, the world's fastest-growing commercial real estate services firm, announced today that it will hold its third annual Global Day of Giving this Thursday, October 13 in all of the company's markets in five countries.

"On October 13, employees in Avison Young's 79 offices in Canada, the U.S., Mexico and Europe will again dedicate the day to participation in volunteer projects that promote social, economic and environmental sustainability in their respective cities," comments Rose. "At this time in 2015, we had 71 offices take part. This year, due to continued expansion, another 400 professionals and an additional eight offices will be involved. We're thrilled to expand our philanthropic efforts into Mexico and broaden our global contributions in support of people who deal courageously with disadvantages on a daily basis. This annual initiative is also our way of giving back to the communities that support our company and our causes throughout the year."

Avison Young's Global Day of Giving is part of the company's global citizenship efforts. Each Avison Young office has chosen its own community volunteer project in consultation with the charity that will receive the assistance.

Rose continues: "Avison Young's core principles of partnership and collaboration apply not only to our business operations, but also to our efforts to support the communities in which we live, work and play. The same goes for our aggressive global expansion program. We also want to expand our community contributions on a global scale. The 2015 Global Day of Giving was another unmitigated success, and we look forward to raising more awareness for many organizations that work so unselfishly to improve the lives of people in need and at risk every day. This year, we're striving to build on the efforts of 2014 and 2015 to raise more funds and other forms of support for selected local charities. By setting aside a day for all 2,400-plus Avison Young professionals to volunteer their time, we will continue to expand our philanthropic efforts as a company exponentially and strive to improve our communities steadily."

This year, in addition to Mexico City, Avison Young is expanding its Global Day of Giving to Memphis, Coventry U.K., Jacksonville, Boca Raton, Phoenix, Berlin and St. Louis.

"Avison Young's Day of Giving is a demonstration of our focus on, and commitment to, global citizenship," points out Rodney McDonald, Avison Young Principal and Practice Leader, Consulting & Project Management Services. "Numerous people and organizations around the globe benefit from our Day of Giving, and it is one opportunity for everyone at Avison Young to support our communities. The Day of Giving is also our way of showing that we embrace – and strive to uphold – the principles of sustainability within our communities as well as our company."

Local staff activities on October 13 will range from river and trail clean-up projects at local parks to landscaping and renovation projects at women's shelters and youth clubs to refurbishing a house for homeless families to collecting coats for a school.

Char Fortune, Avison Young's Director of Learning and Professional Development, says Avison Young is ensuring that the Day of Giving will be sustainable over the long term by actively recruiting people who are committed to philanthropy.

"Our Day of Giving is enthusiastically embraced by our young professionals, who take the lead on choosing the local charities that we support," says Fortune. "By investing personal time and effort into helping their communities, our young professionals learn first-hand why leadership in this area is so important. They have a natural inclination for it."

The following is a list of the charities to which Avison Young employees will be donating their time on October 13:

CANADA
Calgary	Women in Need Society
Edmonton	Food Bank of Edmonton
Halifax	Boys and Girls Club - Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
Lethbridge	Canadian Blood Services
Moncton	Boys and Girls Club - Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
Montreal	Moisson Montreal
Ottawa	The Ottawa Mission
Quebec City	Moisson Montreal
Regina	Carmichael Outreach Centre
Toronto HQ	Melanoma Network of Canada
Toronto (property management)	Youth Without Shelter
Toronto North	Melanoma Network of Canada
Toronto West	Melanoma Network of Canada
Vancouver	Westminster House – Treatment Centre for Women
Waterloo Region	Guelph Humane Society
Winnipeg	Koats for Kids
U.S.
Atlanta	The Furniture Bank of Metro Atlanta
Austin	Habitat for Humanity Restore
Boca Raton	City of Fort Lauderdale Parks and Recreation
Boston	Boston Cares - Charles River Esplanade
Chapel Hill	The Carying Place
Charleston	Habitat for Humanity
Charlotte	Habitat for Humanity
Chicago Downtown	Friends of the Forest
Chicago Suburban	Friends of the Forest
Cleveland	Marymount Hospital & Retreat
Columbus	Ronald McDonald House
Dallas	Dwell with Dignity
Denver	Food Bank of the Rockies
Detroit	Gleaners Food Bank
Fairfield/Westchester	Norwalk Grassroots Tennis
Fort Lauderdale	City of Fort Lauderdale Parks and Recreation
Greenville	Greenville County Parks, Recreation & Tourism
Hartford	Boston Cares - Charles River Esplanade
Houston	Bo's Place
Indianapolis	Agape Therapeutic Riding
Jacksonville	Gabriel House of Care
Knoxville	Ijams Nature Center
Las Vegas	Opportunity Village
Long Island	Habitat for Humanity
Los Angeles - Downtown	EnrichLA
Los Angeles - Santa Monica	EnrichLA
Los Angeles North	EnrichLA
Los Angeles West	EnrichLA
Memphis	Children's Museum of Memphis
Miami	Camillus House
Minneapolis	House of Charity
Nashville	Salvation Army
New Jersey	Morristown Neighborhood House
New York	Riverside Park Conservatory
Oakland	Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy
Orange County	EnrichLA
Orlando	Kids House - Wayne Densch Children's Advocacy Center
Philadelphia	A Woman's Place
Phoenix	St. Mary's Food Bank
Pittsburgh	Society of St. Vincent de Paul
Raleigh-Durham	The Carying Place
Reno	Habitat for Humanity
Sacramento	Move America Forward
San Antonio	Habitat for Humanity Restore
San Diego	EnrichLA
San Francisco	Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy
San Mateo	Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy
St. Louis	Places for People
Suburban Maryland	Montgomery County Park & Rec/Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless/Stepping Stones Shelter
Tampa	Humane Society of Tampa Bay
Tysons Corner	HomeStretch/Northern Virginia Family Services
Washington, DC	DC Central Kitchen
West Palm Beach	City of Fort Lauderdale Parks and Recreation
MEXICO
Mexico City	Hospital Juarez de Mexico
UNITED KINGDOM
Coventry	Warwickshire Wildlife Trust Brandon Marsh Nature Centre
London City	Spear
London West End	Spear
Thames Valley	Spear
GERMANY
Berlin	Caritas
Duesseldorf	AWO Duesseldorf
Frankfurt	Local animal shelter
Hamburg	Local kindergarten
Munich	Munchner Tafel

Avison Young's Global Day of Giving is held annually in all of the firm's markets every October. The philanthropic effort continually expands as Avison Young opens new offices around the globe.

"We're delighted that our new Berlin office will contribute to the organic expansion of the Global Day of Giving along with our Mexico City location and other new offices," adds Udo Stoeckl, Avison Young Principal and Managing Director, Germany. "We're also proud to have our Duesseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Munich offices participating again in local social projects with the rest of our Avison Young family. All of us at Avison Young look forward to providing local communities with our time, creativity and manpower to serve people in need – and assist the charitable organizations that serve so graciously."

Avison Young is the world's fastest-growing commercial real estate services firm. Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, Avison Young is a collaborative, global firm owned and operated by its principals. Founded in 1978, the company comprises 2,400 real estate professionals in 79 offices, providing value-added, client-centric investment sales, leasing, advisory, management, financing and mortgage placement services to owners and occupiers of office, retail, industrial and multi-family properties.

www.avisonyoung.com

Avison Young was a winner of Canada's Best Managed Companies program in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 and requalified in 2015 to maintain its status as a Best Managed Gold company

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SOURCE Avison Young Commercial Real Estate (BC)

For further information/comment/photos: Sherry Quan, Principal, Global Director of Communications & Media Relations, Avison Young: 604.647.5098; cell: 604.726.0959; Mark Rose, Chair and CEO, Avison Young: 416.673.4028; Rodney McDonald, Principal and Practice Leader, Consulting & Project Management Services, Avison Young: 416.673.4059; Char Fortune, Principal and Director of Learning and Professional Development, Avison Young: 404.865.3683; Udo Stoeckl, Principal and Managing Director, Germany, Avison Young: [phone]