Lori Cartwright on a previous adventure. (Supplied)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

this trek will take a good 'altitude'

Red Deer realtor treks to volcano in Ecuador in support of Canadian women’s shelters

Aug 25, 2023 | 1:50 PM

A local realtor is headed to new heights all to support Canadian women’s shelters in the Ecuador Challenge for Shelter.

This November, Lori Cartwright with Royal LePage Network Realty will depart for Ecuador, and spend more than five days traversing and trekking up one of the world’s highest active volcanoes, crossing difficult terrain in unpredictable alpine conditions.

The trek will take them about 4,000 metres above seal level, to the volcano that is Mt. Cotopaxi.

In groups with other realtors from across Canada — 120 people in total — Cartwright will sleep in a tent and go without everyday conveniences such as indoor plumbing, electricity and cell service.

“My funds raised are designated to the new support service dog with Red Deer City Victim Services. When humans have been failed by other humans, the dog is a tool that we cannot be without,” says Cartwright, whose goal is $10,000 raised.

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“The second place the funds will go is to a specific counselling program for adults and children who are victims of domestic violence. The A.R.R.T program (Attachment, Relationships, Resilience & Trauma) is a 12-week counselling program focused on healing those who’ve been through domestic violence.”

Cartwright has raised 56 per cent of her $10,000 target as of Aug. 25 and, she notes, she was selected as one of the 120 out of 360 applicants. She’s also the first member from Red Deer to take part.

“Every day, adults and children managing their way through domestic violence situations are fighting the fight of their life and I want to support them any way that I can,” she adds.

According to statistics, half of all women in Canada have experienced at least one incident of physical or sexual violence since the age of 16, with 362,000 Canadian children exposed to domestic violence every year.

With Royal LePage for nine years, Cartwright can often be found cooking meals at Ronald McDonald House and working with Make-A-Wish Northern Alberta, among other things.

This is the Ecuador Challenge for Shelter’s fifth edition, with previous hikes taking place in Peru in 2015, then Iceland, Morocco and the Canadian Purcell Mountains biennially.

To donate to Cartwright’s fundraising efforts or to learn more about the challenge, click here.