{"id":60029,"date":"2025-11-07T14:54:45","date_gmt":"2025-11-07T18:54:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thelaker.ca\/?p=60029"},"modified":"2025-11-07T14:54:45","modified_gmt":"2025-11-07T18:54:45","slug":"from-enfield-to-cambodia-realtors-journey-of-grit-and-gratitude-helps-nova-scotians-in-need","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/?p=60029","title":{"rendered":"From Enfield to Cambodia: Realtor\u2019s journey of grit and gratitude helps Nova Scotians in need"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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ENFIELD:<\/strong> Don McCooeye recently returned home from an unforgettable trek through the jungles of Cambodia, and with it, a deep sense of gratitude and purpose after raising nearly $8,500 in support of Alice House.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alice House is a Halifax-based shelter supporting women and children escaping intimate-partner violence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The five-day, 100-kilometre trek was part of the national Royal LePage Shelter Foundation\u2019s \u201cChallenge for Shelter\u201d, held every two years in a new and difficult corner of the world. Past challenges have taken participants across the Sahara Desert and through the mountains of Ecuador.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis year it was Cambodia and it was everything it was supposed to be,\u201d McCooeye, a realtor with Royal LePage Atlantic, said during an interview in Enfield. \u201cIt was hot \u2014 35 to 40 degrees with 100 per cent humidity \u2014 and every step made you think about why you were doing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut every time I started to feel tired, I\u2019d remember the stories of people who had to flee their homes in the middle of the night with nothing but the clothes on their back. That kept me going.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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Don McCooeye and a colleague during the trek in Cambodia., (Submitted photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Don McCooeye inside his tent. (Submitted photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Each participant in the Shelter Challenge must raise at least $6,000, with 80 per cent of donations staying in their home region to support local shelters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In McCooeye\u2019s case, this was Alice House, which serves women and children across Nova Scotia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The remaining 20 per cent funds education and research on preventing gender-based violence, including programs developed through Western University targeting youth awareness in middle school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs a dad of two young girls, this really hits home,\u201d he said. \u201cWe can\u2019t just talk the talk; we have to walk the walk. My wife and I are very conscious of the world we want our daughters to grow up in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf we can do something to make it better for others, we\u2019re going to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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(Submitted photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

McCooeye surpassed his fundraising goal of $8,000 thanks to what he called the \u201cincredible generosity\u201d of his community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeople who barely had enough for gas were still giving twenty dollars,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt reminded me how strong our communities are Halifax, Fall River, East Hants, and how much people care about helping others.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He has raised $8,300 and counting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The trek itself tested every participant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Traversing jungles, rice fields, and steep mountain terrain, teams moved an average of 30,000 to 35,000 steps per day, guided by locals with machetes cutting paths through dense vegetation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was humbling,\u201d McCooeye said. \u201cEvery blister, every tough climb was worth it. The people and culture of Cambodia stole my heart. Their kindness and warmth were beyond words.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He recalled one unforgettable moment when the team camped outside a Buddhist temple on a holy day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe were woken around 3:30 a.m. by over a hundred people chanting inside the temple,\u201d said McCooeye. \u201cIt was beautiful, a poetic reminder of how big and connected our world really is.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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The group of participants in the trek in Cambodia. (Submitted photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Don McCooeye helps a man walk. (Submitted photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Less than ten Royal LePage Atlantic agents joined the 130-member national group, but together they raised over $1.6 million, the largest total in the program\u2019s history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTo be even a tiny part of that is amazing,\u201d said McCooeye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a reflection of how much good can happen when people come together for something that matters.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said his team, The McCooeye Group, also donates a portion of every real estate transaction to Shelter Canada year-round, ensuring continued support for Alice House.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Some of the sights during the trek (Submitted photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Though the trek is complete, McCooeye noted that donations are still being accepted until the end of the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNova Scotia has some of the highest rates of intimate-partner violence in the country. It\u2019s something we can\u2019t ignore,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m proud to be part of a company like Royal LePage that gives us a way to take real action.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can make a donation at: Shelter Foundation<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more info on Alice House N.S. check out their website at: https:\/\/alicehouse.ca\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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ENFIELD: Don McCooeye recently returned home from an unforgettable trek through the jungles of Cambodia, and with it, a deep sense of gratitude and purpose after raising nearly $8,500 in support of Alice House. Alice House is a Halifax-based shelter supporting women and children escaping intimate-partner violence. The five-day, 100-kilometre trek was part of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":60121,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[965,957],"tags":[8729,9643,3334,196,390,5887,2026],"class_list":["post-60029","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-east-hants","category-news","tag-alice-house","tag-cambodia","tag-don-mccooeye","tag-east-hants","tag-enfield","tag-royal-lepage-atlantic","tag-shelter"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60029","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=60029"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60029\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/60121"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=60029"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=60029"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=60029"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}