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14 MBiz | november 2016 Homes for the Holidays HOMES FOR THE HOLIDAYS RED RIVER NORTH H ow do you get hundreds of people excited about visiting an area beyond the Perimeter Highway over three days in dreary November? It's not a riddle – it's a success story. Homes for the Holidays Red River North is about to kick off its second annual Home and Heritage Tours, held this year on Nov. 24-26. The event was dreamed up by like-minded community members in Selkirk and the rural municipalities of St. Andrews and St. Clements, who were challenged to find ways to grow tourism in their region. At the round-table discussion hosted by Red River North Tourism and facilitated by the Interlake Tourism Association back in 2014, three women who had never met before all had the same thought — what about home and heritage tours to launch the winter and holiday season? As the trio — Harlequin House Bed and Breakfast owner Heather Hunter, Little Britain United Church Rev. Shelly Manley-Tanis and communications consultant Shirley Muir — shared their idea over the next few weeks, more and more people joined the team, including generous local businesses. Together, they decided that profits from the event would be donated to help build a new home for Nova House, a shelter for abused women and children in the Interlake. The team signed up nine locations — including modern homes, historic dwellings and heritage buildings — to commit to decorating lavishly for the holidays and inviting tourists inside. And they came in droves. The 2015 weekend event sold 650 tickets in a month. After supporting the 2015 event and seeing all the good it did, Michael Buhr and Ron Knight of Investors Group Financial Services signed on as a premier sponsor for 2016. "Homes for the Holidays is so important not just because of the thousands of dollars it's raising to help meet housing needs, but also because of how it draws attention to our community and brings people here to discover everything we have to offer. This project deserves all of our attention, and we encourage every business in our region to get involved in some way," says Buhr. Local philanthropists Jim and Betty Anne Gaynor also joined this year as patron sponsors, offering to match sponsorship dollars at a $1-for-every-$2 rate, which helped the event drum up even more support. "Although many businesses are competitive we also know that a healthy and prosperous community requires that we work together on projects that matter. And this is one of those projects," says Cyndi Typliski, Selkirk Chamber of Commerce past president and managing partner at Sunova Credit Union's COMMUNITY EFFORT SUPPORTS TOURISM & SHELTER NEEDS By Sherry Kaniuga

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