Taylor in Africa

FROM VICTORIA REALTY TO AFRICAN REALITY

Top Local Realtor Ready to Roll Up his Sleeves on Charitable Mission

Victoria, B.C., FEBRUARY 26, 2009 – For the past two years running, Realtor Taylor Conroy has led in sales of resale condos throughout Greater Victoria. At age 27 and with just under four years as a realtor, Conroy credits his incredible momentum to a penchant for hard work and helping people – qualities he's now hoping can benefit others far beyond Victoria's borders.

"I had a significant amount of money saved up to give to charity, and was looking to find a grass-roots organization where I could donate the money and employ my business expertise," says Conroy. "I wanted to find something with little to no administration costs – a project where the money would be used to its fullest extent."

Last year, while valuating a James Bay condo, Conroy took notice of some pictures his client had taken in Vietnam, which sparked a conversation about NGOs and Conroy's desire to give back. Soon after, his well-connected client introduced him to Zac Whyte, a Comox Valley-based videographer and project co-ordinator of Connecting with Kenya.

Conroy immediately made a generous pledge to Connecting with Kenya, offering to match every dollar raised for the organization up to $25,000. In addition to his pledge, however, Conroy still wanted to get involved directly. Whyte told him about a seven-year-old program based on breeding and raising goats in Uganda that was working extremely well. Conroy met with the program's founder and Whyte to discuss growing the goat program to other African villages.

On February 25th, Conroy and Whyte will depart for 19 days in Uganda, Kenya and Egypt, where Conroy will get a first-hand perspective on the Ugandan program's operations and develop systems to make it duplicable and ready to be implemented in other villages. Whyte will film the experience to show how the program has benefited villagers' lives. After 10 days in Uganda, Conroy and Whyte will travel to Kenya to meet local teachers and tour a school in need of funding. "Zac and I are both passionate about educating children, as we feel education is the first step in ending poverty," says Conroy. Conroy and Whyte's journey will conclude in Egypt, where they will be shown around by a local family in Cairo to grasp a better understanding of how they might contribute in a more urban environment.

Details about Conroy and Whyte's upcoming visit to Africa will be available at www.thecondogroup.ca following Conroy's return on . To learn more about Connecting with Kenya, people can visit www.connectingwithkenya.com.