Giving where you live begins with local organizations

Featured in the photo: Margaret Anderson, Paula Gardin, Chris John, Dan Cooper

My team and I support a number of organizations, everything from minor sports teams to major campaigns that will have a significant impact on the quality of life we enjoy here in the Oakville and Burlington areas.

A giving and caring spirit makes our community stronger – a place in which we can all be proud to live and raise a family. How we treat those in need, how we support charities and organizations that are making a difference, shape our community’s character and reputation. Today we enjoy one of the most desirable locations in Canada in which to live – because we have built a safe and caring community.

One of the most rewarding organizations I have had the pleasure to be connected with is the Ian Anderson House. The cancer hospice is playing a critical role in our society by offering a quality of life and dignity for those who are terminally ill. It is Ontario’s first in-resident cancer hospice and offers without charge, quality end-of-life palliative care by trained medical professionals.

Last month I sponsored the Fill The House benefit concert at Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts which featured vocal impressionist Chris John and jazz vocalist and Oakville native Paula Gardin. The fundraiser provided a fantastic evening and I thank the generosity of those who attended for supporting this very worthwhile cause.

Located on the Oakville and Mississauga border, the hospice has six large private bedrooms with ensuite washrooms and large windows, each with an attached bird feeder and overlooking the garden and grounds.

Residents have access to the entire house, which includes a large country kitchen, living room, sun room and covered patio. In addition, the House was carefully designed to ensure that beds and wheelchairs can be taken out on the patio and to the garden.

The Sanctuary Garden, at the back of the property, has greatly enhanced the grounds of the hospice and is much enjoyed by residents, families and visitors alike. The garden features paths for wheelchair and bed access, seating areas, a gazebo, a pond and a Memory Wall. Joshua’s Creek runs through a ravine along the back of the Garden.

Residents at Ian Anderson House receive round-the-clock individualized programs of care in partnership with the Community Care Access Centre which augment the hours of nursing and support provided by the hospice’s trained professional staff.

True to the philosophy of hospice, Ian Anderson House offers care to its residents without charge. Their operating cost, which allows them to provide the high quality 24-hour care that is necessary at the end-of-life, is currently $1,800 per day. In order to offer the medical care and the number of staff that is expected and necessary in a hospice environment, they must currently raise an additional $600,000 a year for annual operating costs.

In order to continue to offer their exemplary care and support, without charge, they rely on the generosity of individuals, service clubs, foundations, local businesses and on fundraising events such as the Fill The House benefit concert.

Building a stronger community means supporting great causes such as the Ian Anderson House. I encourage all of you to give back to the community in any way you can; whether it is with money or time or both. Your efforts and contributions help make our community stronger and a better place in which to live.

For more information about Ian Anderson House, visit their website www.ianandersonhouse.com.

Dan Cooper is an award-winning broker with Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd., Brokerage – the Number 1 Royal LePage Team for Canada in 2009, 2007, 2005, 2002, 2001, 2000 and 1999. He can be reached at 905.338.3737, direct line at 905.849.3303 or through his innovative and interactive website at DanCooper.com. Be sure to catch the Dan Cooper Real Estate Series on DailyWebTV.com. For his free booklet How To Sell Your House For Top Dollar – Fast! or his Guide to Oakville Real Estate, please call The Dan Cooper Team.

Public service is a commitment to giving back to the community

Featured in the photo to the left: Kevin Flynn & Dan Cooper. Featured in the photo to the right: Tim Hudak & Dan Cooper.

Congratulations to Oakville MPP Kevin Flynn on his re-election in the provincial election last week, as well as the first-time election of Progressive Conservative Jane McKenna in Burlington. I don’t know Jane, but I’m confident she will do well for her riding. I know Kevin and he is a strong representative for Oakville. I also know members of the other parties, including PC Leader Tim Hudak, and they are good people.

What these people have, regardless of their party affiliations, is a strong conviction to serve; to embrace the responsibility of being a citizen. It can be a thankless job at times, it can be challenging and long hours, and I’m certain there are many rewarding moments. But above all, it is a commitment to fulfill a civic duty that goes beyond what many of us are prepared to give.

Their service is admirable, and yet, we need to remind ourselves that we can all contribute to make our community a better one. That involves taking the time to vote, which we did last week, to ensure we have an MPP who will represent us best. But, our obligation to our community goes far beyond simply casting a vote of course. It also means supporting local causes, giving back to the community and taking a stand on political and environmental issues that impact our way of life.

We have a very vibrant community and there are so many opportunities for everyone to get involved in some fashion and at any level. Whether it’s giving your time, donations or both, we need to follow the lead of our elected officials and give something of yourselves to help make ours a better society. My team and I have chosen a number of wonderful local causes to support; everything from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Halton, the Oakville Hospital Foundation, the Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts and, more recently, Ian Anderson House to name a few. It’s all about “giving where you live” and I encourage everyone to get involved – maybe not at the level of our elected officials, but certainly enough to help improve your community.

There is much work to be done in the Oakville and Burlington areas. On the provincial level, we have two strong members who belong to the governing party and that means our voices will be heard at Queen’s Park. Again, congratulations to the successful candidates, and for the rest of us – let’s keep working to make ours a better community.

Dan Cooper is an award-winning broker with Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd., Brokerage – the Number 1 Royal LePage Team for Canada in 2009, 2007, 2005, 2002, 2001, 2000 and 1999. He can be reached at 905.338.3737, direct line at 905.849.3303 or through his innovative and interactive website at DanCooper.com. Be sure to catch the Dan Cooper Real Estate Series on DailyWebTV.com. For his free booklet How To Sell Your House For Top Dollar – Fast! or his Guide to Oakville Real Estate, please call The Dan Cooper Team.

Filling the house in support of Ian Anderson hospice

Featured in the photo: Margaret Anderson, Paula Gardin, Chris John, Dan Cooper.

Update:

There are only a few tickets remaining so you will need to act fast. To purchase tickets please click on the Oakville Centre link below or call the box office at 905-815-2021 in support of this most worthwhile cause.

http://www.oc4pa.ca/boxoffice.htm

It’s going to be a great night for a great cause at the Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts Saturday. If you are in the mood to be entertained by world-class performers and, at the same time, help a very worthy local non-profit organization, then order your tickets now. They are going fast.

The headliners are vocal impressionist Chris John and jazz vocalist and Oakville native Paula Gardin.
With the uncanny ability to mimic a wide variety of voices, Chris honed his talents for impersonation through years of training and performing on stage, film and television. His credits include, leading roles in A Chorus Line, Guys and Dolls, Grease and Leader of the Pack. What sets Chris apart is his unique ability to mimic a wide variety of artists. It’s truly amazing.

Paula’s powerful voice and passionate performing style have engaged many audiences whether it be live theatre or smoky jazz clubs. As a songwriter she has been able to communicate her life experiences to an even wider audience through several genres of music which include jazz, pop and Latin. Her debut album A Little Rain Must Fall evokes emotional responses from all walks of life.

Tickets are only $55 for what will be a lively evening of entertainment and fun. The cause is the Ian Anderson House. If you are unfamiliar with the very valuable work this terrific organization is doing, let me fill you in. Ian Anderson House is one of the most rewarding organizations I have been connected with and I am proud to be the lead sponsor and one of the organizer’s for Saturday’s concert. The cancer hospice is playing a critical role by offering a quality of life and dignity for those who are terminally ill. It is Ontario’s first in-resident cancer hospice and offers without charge, quality end-of-life palliative care by trained medical professionals.

Located on the Oakville and Mississauga border, the hospice has six large private bedrooms with ensuite washrooms and large windows with attached bird feeder and overlooking the garden and grounds. Residents have access to the entire house, which includes a large country kitchen, living room, sunroom and covered patio. In addition, the House was carefully designed to ensure that beds and wheelchairs can be taken out on the patio and to the garden.

Residents at Ian Anderson House receive round-the-clock individualized programs of care in partnership with the Community Care Access Centre which augment the hours of nursing and support provided by the hospice’s trained professional staff.

True to the philosophy of hospice, Ian Anderson House offers care to its residents without charge. Their operating cost, which allows them to provide the high quality 24-hour care that is necessary at the end-of-life, is currently $1,800 per day. In order to offer the medical care and the number of staff that is expected and necessary in a hospice environment, they must currently raise an additional $600,000 a year for annual operating costs.

In order to continue to offer their exemplary care and support, without charge, they rely on the generosity of individuals, service clubs, foundations, local businesses and on fundraising events such as Saturday’s concert.

Building a stronger community means supporting great causes such as the Ian Anderson House. My team and I support a number of organizations, everything from minor sports teams to major campaigns that will have a significant impact on the quality of life we enjoy here in the Oakville and Burlington areas.

A giving and caring spirit makes our community stronger – a place in which we can all be proud to live and raise a family. How we treat those in need, how we support charities and organizations that are making a difference, shape our community’s character and reputation. Today we enjoy one of the most desirable locations in Canada in which to live – because we have built a safe and caring community. I encourage all of you to give back to the community in any way you can; whether it is with money or time or both. Your efforts and contributions help make our community stronger and a better place in which to live.

For more information about Ian Anderson House, visit their website www.ianandersonhouse.com.

Dan Cooper is an award-winning broker with Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd., Brokerage – the Number 1 Royal LePage Team for Canada in 2009, 2007, 2005, 2002, 2001, 2000 and 1999. He can be reached at 905.338.3737, direct line at 905.849.3303 or through his innovative and interactive website at DanCooper.com. Be sure to catch the Dan Cooper Real Estate Series on DailyWebTV.com. For his free booklet How To Sell Your House For Top Dollar – Fast! or his Guide to Oakville Real Estate, please call the Dan Cooper Team.

What people are saying about Dan Cooper

Referrals are critical. Whether we are searching for a trusted auto mechanic or roofing company, all of us rely on the word of family and friends to make many important decisions. We find comfort in knowing the experience of others; to be reassured that we are making a sound decision.

Finding a realtor who will achieve the results you want is no different – the testimonials of others are valuable when it comes to assessing an agent who has the experience, knowledge and marketing savvy to get top dollar for your home or help you make a wise real estate investment.

A good realtor will have a ton of referrals and ensure satisfied clients go on the record with their testimonials. They are powerful and provide a level of credibility that advertising and marketing cannot accomplish. These are true experiences by real people – they are believable.

For an example of the power of testimonials, visit our Testimonials page. Here you will see several videotaped testimonials from business leaders, community leaders and regular people who have had a positive experience from The Dan Cooper Team.

Oakville MPP Kevin Flynn is one such client. This is what he has to say about working with The Dan Cooper Team. “It was a great experience. I think it is always traumatic when you have to sell a house…The Dan Cooper Team made the process as easy as possible.”
The Flynns had lived in their home for more than 25 years and their situation was typical – they wanted a new house but wanted to stay in the neighbourhood. They didn’t want to sell their home first and not find another in the area, so we found a lot and they built a new house. We were able to find a great solution and today they have a brand new home in the same neighbourhood. Kevin says he recognizes this was a difficult scenario to navigate, but they were pleased with the marketing and that the right people were attracted to the home they were selling. They sold in 38 days.

It doesn’t matter what your circumstances are, The Dan Cooper Team has handled thousands of challenging situations. Take May Scott, an executive who was selling her home in the dead of winter. We did it and May says they were pleased with the result. “Dan has a great marketing team. If you want your home marketed in the best way possible and with people who care, I would certainly go to Dan Cooper.”

Barb Drouin, a company president, says the experience was everything she and her husband expected “and more.” “It was extremely simple. It was seamless. Dan was very knowledgeable; utilized technology and brought the resources that we required to make things happen in a very timely fashion. My husband and I are extremely busy professionals and that’s why we aligned ourselves with The Dan Cooper Team.”
Barb says they got a price that was fair. In any transaction you need a buyer and a seller and we were able to negotiate a deal where everyone was happy and got what they wanted.

And in many cases, what begins as a business relationship becomes a friendship. The relationship I now have with Colin Davies, a managing partner of a company, is common. We helped Colin and his wife sell their home in Glen Abbey and move to their dream home on the lake.

“Dan is very good at being efficient and getting through the process. When buying and selling a home, you want it to go quickly and Dan was very good at being flexible and really trying to push it along so things go quickly,” Colin says. “We’ve gotten to know Dan pretty well from a social standpoint because we did enjoy the process working with him on the house. And he is fun to be with …and we’ve benefited from Dan from putting firsthand attention to Sharon and I.”

These are just a few examples of the hundreds of glowing testimonials I have collected and friendships I have made over the years. I enjoy seeing many of my clients and often treat them with tickets to shows at the Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts or to dinner, as small tokens of appreciation for their business and their support.

Dan Cooper is an award-winning broker with Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd., Brokerage – the Number 1 Royal LePage Team for Canada in 2009. He can be reached at 905.338.3737, direct line at 905.849.3303 or through his innovative and interactive website at DanCooper.com. Be sure to catch the Dan Cooper Real Estate Series on DailyWebTV.com. For his free booklet How To Sell Your House For Top Dollar – Fast! or his Guide to Oakville Real Estate, please call The Dan Cooper Team.

Colin James rocks Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts

Featured in the photo above: Colin James and Dan Cooper

The house was rocking with the great sounds of Colin James at the Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts on March 19th. James is a Canadian boy who rose to fame in the 1980’s and became a global star with two hit singles Voodoo Thing and Five Long Years.

In his early years he opened for the likes of the late Stevie Ray Vaughan, ZZ Top and the Rolling Stones; he appeared on the Late Night shows with David Letterman and Conan O’Brien and is a multi-Juno winner.

A consummate professional and a superb guitarist, James is a musician’s musician. The confidence that comes with maturity can be heard in his voice and seen in his electrifying stage performance. He did not disappoint on this night. The performance was one of the best of the season, and what better place to see such a great concert than at the intimate stage of the Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts. The Centre is a tremendous gift to Oakville and area – for local talent as well as international stars like James. If you have never caught a show there, I encourage you to treat yourself to the experience. It’s a blast.

James is just the latest in a string of the best Canadian artists we have brought to Oakville through the Dan Cooper Concert Series. Other renowned artists include Johnny Winter, Robert Cray, Randy Bachman, Jann Arden, Holly Cole and just recently the reunited Platinum Blonde to name a few.

The arts are an important element in the cultural fabric of a community. Live performances, dance and music feed the minds and souls of its citizens and that is critical for a well-balanced and culturally rich community.

The Centre has been providing an important stage for local theatre and concerts and professional performances by artists from across Canada and around the world since 1977. The Mission of the Centre is to provide Oakville residents with a place to learn about themselves and the world around them through dance, music, storytelling and theatre.

I’m proud to be associated with of this wonderful organization by bringing a number of top shows and performances each year through the Dan Cooper Concert Series. The desire by The Dan Cooper Team to provide support for the arts is a testament to our commitment to give back to the community in which we work and live. We are not simply in the business of selling properties and helping buyers find homes. We are an integral part of this terrific community. We are your neighbour, our children go to school here and we shop in the same grocery stores. This is our community and The Dan Cooper Team is proud to play a part in shaping its character and its success.

We are involved in a number of good causes in Oakville and Burlington, and our support for the Oakville Centre is just one more example of our commitment to help build a better community.

I invite you to watch for upcoming performances that make up the summer portion of the Dan Cooper Concert Series. Please check the Centre’s website www.oc4pa.ca for an update on these and some of the other terrific concerts that you can enjoy in one of the most intimate theatres in Canada.

Dan Cooper is an award-winning broker with Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd., Brokerage – the Number 1 Royal LePage Team for Canada in 2009. He can be reached at 905.338.3737, direct line at 905.849.3303 or through his innovative and interactive website at DanCooper.com. Be sure to catch the Dan Cooper Real Estate Series on DailyWebTV.com. For his free booklet How To Sell Your House For Top Dollar – Fast! or his Guide to Oakville Real Estate, please call The Dan Cooper Team.

Dan Cooper thanks those who nominated him for Oakville’s Awards of Excellence

I want to thank all those who nominated me for the Annual Oakville Awards for Business Excellence. It is an honour to join a strong group of community and business leaders who are being recognized at the 16th annual award ceremony.

I have been part of the Oakville community for more than 20 years and my real estate business has grown to be one of the most successful within Royal LePage. In fact, we have been the Number 1 Royal LePage Team in Canada for seven of the past 10 years. This is an accomplishment that does not happen by accident, but rather by design. Our dedication and commitment to selling your home, along with superior marketing strategies, have time and time again helped our clients sell their homes quickly and for top dollar. Our steadfast approach to do what is best for our clients has made us one of the busiest brokerages in Oakville.

But our success goes beyond dollars and cents. As much as the awards recognize business success, I believe they also strongly weigh the charitable component of a business. It is in the area of philanthropy that I have also developed a passion and I am proud that my Team and I support many worthwhile causes.

There is more to a community than homes, roads and shopping districts. The character of a town or city is defined by the number of caring and giving people in our midst. Whether it is donating time or money or both to a food bank, a youth centre or cultural organization, people in our community have demonstrated their generosity year after year. “Give where you live” is a slogan adopted by many charitable organizations across North America, but it really does sum up the philanthropic approach of The Dan Cooper Team.

I have chosen a handful of outstanding organizations to which I am personally making significant contributions:
- Ontario Hospital Foundation which has launched a major project – the New Oakville Hospital.
- Venue sponsor for Comic Vision, an evening of comedy in support of the Foundation Fighting Blindness.
- Dan Cooper Celebrity Invitational Golf Tournament for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Halton.
- Appleby College
- Dan Cooper Concert Series at the Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts.

I’m proud that The Dan Cooper Team can be counted among our generous citizens by providing support for local organizations, services and minor sports. The contribution by every member of the team is a testament to our commitment to give back to the community. We are not simply in the business of selling properties and helping buyers find homes. We are your neighbour, our children go to school here and we shop in the same grocery stores. This is our community and The Dan Cooper Team is proud to play a part in shaping its character and its success.
The Oakville Awards for Business Excellence were created to recognize companies that excel in their business category. They are based on a rigorous interview and analysis process that judges not only gauge the company’s business performance but also how it contributes to making Oakville a better community.

Again, I am proud to be counted among those who are working to make this community a better place.

Dan Cooper is an award-winning broker with Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd., Brokerage – the Number 1 Royal LePage Team for Canada in 2009. He can be reached at 905.338.3737, direct line at 905.849.3303 or through his innovative and interactive website at DanCooper.com. Be sure to catch the Dan Cooper Real Estate Series on DailyWebTV.com. For his free booklet How To Sell Your House For Top Dollar – Fast! or his Guide to Oakville Real Estate, please call the Dan Cooper Team.

Canadian singing sensation Chantal Kreviazuk wows an Oakville crowd

Featured in above photo: Debbie Cooper, Chantal Kreviazuk, Dan Cooper

What an amazing concert at the Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts last Wednesday – Chantal Kreviazuk. The Winnipeg native and Juno-award winner wowed a full house with hit after hit.

Chantal broke onto the music scene with her first album Under These Rocks and Stones in 1996 which went double platinum in Canada and sold 100,000 albums in the U.S. Album sales were fueled primarily by her wildly popular singles Surrounded and God Made Me. The following year Chantal received a Juno nomination as Best New Artist. Three years later, she won two Juno awards for Best Adult/Pop Album and Best Female Artist. In addition to being one of Canada’s best known singers-songwriters, Chantal has written songs for other top artists and has appeared on the soundtracks for numerous films and television shows such as the blockbuster film Armageddon and TV’s Dawson’s Creek and Providence.

On Wednesday, an Oakville audience was treated to a spectacular performance by this major Canadian star through The Dan Cooper Concert Series. The OCPA is one of the great organizations that I support as part of my philosophy for giving back to the community. Philanthropy is not simply about giving to charitable organizations that provide care and opportunities to the less fortunate in our midst, but to also support culture and the arts for the entire community. Culture and arts are important elements in the cultural fabric of a community. Live performances, dance and music feed the minds and souls of its citizens and that is critical for a well-balanced and culturally rich community. One of the most active and influential organizations in our town is the OCPA. The Centre has been providing an important stage for local theatre and concerts and professional performances by artists from across Canada and around the world since 1977. The Mission of the Centre is to provide Oakville residents with a place to learn about themselves and the world around them through dance, music, storytelling and theatre.

I’m proud to be associated with this wonderful organization by bringing a number of top shows and performances each year through The Dan Cooper Concert Series. The desire by The Dan Cooper Team to provide support for the arts is a testament to our commitment to give back to the community in which we work and live. We are not simply in the business of selling properties and helping buyers find homes. We are an integral part of this terrific community. We are your neighbour, our children go to school here and we shop in the same grocery stores. This is our community and The Dan Cooper Team is proud to play a part in shaping its character and its success. We are involved in a number of good causes in Oakville, and our support for the Oakville Centre is just one more example of our commitment to help build a better community.

The Concert Series is also a chance for me to say thank you to the families who have bought and sold homes through my Brokerage. I purchase a substantial block of tickets for every performance in The Dan Cooper Concert Series so I can thank those who have supported me. It’s one of those little perks that make dealing with The Dan Cooper Team fun and rewarding. Unlike so many agencies that move on after the business has been done, The Dan Cooper Team displays its gratitude every chance we can. We don’t take our clients for granted. You are important to us and we are truly happy to invite you to concerts such as Chantal Kreviazuk.

Check out the OCPA website for more under The Dan Cooper Concert Series. We have more exciting performances coming your way.

Dan Cooper is an award winning Broker with Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd., Brokerage – the Number 1 Royal LePage Team for Canada in 2009. He can be reached at 905.338.3737, direct line at 905.849.3303 or through his innovative and interactive website at DanCooper.com. Be sure to catch the Dan Cooper Real Estate Series on DailyWebTV.com. For his free booklet How To Sell Your House For Top Dollar – Fast! or his Guide to Oakville Real Estate, please call the Dan Cooper Team.

One of Canada’s hottest bands is reuniting and coming to Oakville

Featured in the photo from left to right are Sergio Galli, Dan Cooper and Mark Holmes.

Remember Platinum Blonde? Like many of you, I grew up listening to their hits in the 1980s. They were one of the hottest bands in North America with singles topping the charts and two albums going platinum. Their name mocked the Hollywood Glitter at the time, but their music was hard edge and serious. Their concerts drew tens of thousands of fans and they became magazine cover material and led a fashion revolution.

It’s been more than 20 years since they’ve appeared as Platinum Blonde, but today the band is getting back together and I’m excited that one of their first concerts before launching a Canadian comeback tour is at the Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts as part of the Dan Cooper Concert Series.

Mark February 26th on your calendar because it’s going to be one heck of a reunion. The hall is going to be rocking and if you enjoyed their music as much as I did, you won’t want to miss this party. OCPA is such a great venue for any performance. There isn’t a bad sightline in the theatre and with seating for only 464 people, you are completely up front and personal with the performers. When Platinum Blonde rockets back onto the charts, you will be able to say you were there.

Platinum Blonde emerged from the Toronto club scene with the hit EP Six Track Attack in 1983 that was later extended into a double platinum LP Standing In The Dark. A short year later the group had four hit singles hogging the airwaves across Canada and their Juno nominated Standing In The Dark and Doesn’t Really Matter music videos were getting plenty of airplay on the then novel Much Music channel. Their second album sold six times platinum. Their outstanding success put them in the Music Hall of Fame.

And then the band disbanded, almost as quickly as they had burst onto the scene. They had settled down in California and eventually drifted apart. Guitarist Sergio Galli, a Toronto native, returned to Ontario and began following another passion – designing and building homes. He studied architecture, got his design designation and began designing and building multi-million dollar custom homes – many of them right here in Oakville. He continues to build under Sergio Galli Design Build. You can see some of his work at www.sergiogalli.ca.

And while he has a passion for designing beautiful homes, the desire to get back onstage has become equally as strong, Sergio says today. “I’m looking forward to performing before an Oakville crowd,” Sergio says. “I have a soft spot for the town. I worked here and enjoy the people here. Oakville has been a great town to me.” It was through his home building that I got to know Sergio and we became friends. I was excited when he told me recently that Platinum Blonde was getting back together and we immediately talked about my sponsoring one of their first concerts before they launch their Canadian tour – and to do it right here in Oakville.

This is going to be an unbelievable party. Details are still being worked out and I will have more on those in future columns. I’m also proud to announce that a portion of the proceeds from this concert will be helping a great local cause – the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Halton. I have a deep commitment to this community and I give back every opportunity I get. I support a number of great organizations here and BBBSH is just one of those who need our help. They provide mentoring and programs for the youth-at-risk in our community, helping them become better citizens and future community leaders.

“We are so grateful to Dan Cooper and Don Parans (owner of Concept Lighting stores in the GTA) for providing Big Brothers Big Sisters of Halton for this fabulous opportunity as the recipient of funds raised at the upcoming Platinum Blonde concert,” says Jules Graham-Hood, BBBSH executive director. “This is a great opportunity to enjoy an evening of superb entertainment and reminisce about the ’80s, all in support of youth-at-risk in our local communities. These funds support positive mentoring programs for these kids which make a positive impact in their lives forever! BBBSH requires $1,000 a year to match a child today in a Big and Little program versus $58,000 a year to keep a child in juvenile detention because they do not have a positive mentor in their lives…the choice is easy to make.”

So there you have it – an evening of Great Music for a Great Cause!

Dan Cooper is an award winning Broker with Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd., Brokerage – the Number 1 Royal LePage Team for Canada in 2009. He can be reached at 905.338.3737, direct line at 905.849.3303 or through his innovative and interactive website at DanCooper.com. Be sure to catch the Dan Cooper Real Estate Series on DailyWebTV.com. For his free booklet How To Sell Your House For Top Dollar – Fast! or his Guide to Oakville Real Estate, please call the Dan Cooper Team.

Readers’ Choice Platinum winner for best agent and best team

Thank you to everyone who voted to make The Dan Cooper Team of Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd., Brokerage the Platinum winner for Best Real Estate Agent and Best Real Estate Team in North Oakville Today’s annual Readers’ Choice Awards. Of all the awards my team and I have won over the years, the most gratifying are those that are the result of the recognition we receive from people in our own community. The Readers’ Choice Awards are as grassroots as you can get, and being named Number 1 for both agent and team are proof that we are having a significant impact right here in our own community. I believe this recognition has been achieved for two reasons – our business success and community giving.

We are very active in Oakville and Burlington and that has provided us with a very high profile. In fact, earlier this year we were proud to have earned the distinction of being the Number 1 Royal LePage Team for Canada in 2009. This is our seventh top finish in the past 10 years and is a testament to a lot of hard work and a high degree of success for our clients. What it means for our clients is that they are with one of the best real estate firms in the country. Our creative marketing strategies are accomplishing two things – they are selling homes quickly and for top dollar.

So, the recognition by the Readers’ Choice Awards is in a large part due to the hard work we put into selling your home. We have developed innovative and carefully selected methods of showcasing your home for optimum exposure. These methods involve selecting the prime advertising spots in a variety of publications and using the Internet more creatively than any other broker. For example, my DanCooper.com website is bringing properties to life through a video-based platform. I’m proud to be one of the first to tap into this exciting form of marketing to provide you with a competitive edge when selling your home.

In fact, by June we had achieved a significant real estate milestone – we surpassed 100 homes sold this year. Reaching this level of sales so quickly is the primary reason we are the Number 1 Team in Canada for Royal LePage. The Readers’ Choice Awards reinforces the exposure we are gaining for your properties which also puts The Dan Cooper Team of Royal LePage in the spotlight.

Achieving a high community profile, however, requires more than simply being recognized for our business visibility. Being community minded is critical in today’s world. We have an obligation to give back to the community in which we work and live and I’m proud of the sponsorships and support we are able to provide to community causes and organizations – both large and small. These include the Oakville Hospital Foundation, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Comic Vision for the Foundation Fighting Blindness and the Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts just to name a few. Building a strong community requires support from all of us.

Again, thank you to all who voted to recognize the role my team and I have been able to play to help make our community vibrant and healthy.

Dan Cooper is an award winning Broker with Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd., Brokerage – the Number 1 Royal LePage Team for Canada in 2009. He can be reached at 905.338.3737, direct line at 905.849.3303 or through his innovative and interactive website at DanCooper.com. Be sure to catch the Dan Cooper Real Estate Series on DailyWebTV.com. For his free booklet How To Sell Your House For Top Dollar – Fast! or his Guide to Oakville Real Estate, please call The Dan Cooper Team.