One in a Million: REMAX Agent Bruce Johnson Raises More Than $1M for Children’s Miracle Network

Alyssa Rae Johnson had a “sweet, soulful gaze,” says her father Bruce Johnson. For 20 days, he and his wife Mary basked in Alyssa’s beauty, beaming with adoration for their firstborn daughter. Sadly, Alyssa passed away before turning three weeks old, after spending the entirety of her short, impactful life in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto. Bruce Johnson’s life was forever changed.

In turn, Johnson uses his life to forever change others’.

A REMAX agent with REMAX by the Bay in Wasaga Beach, Ontario, since 1997, Johnson is known throughout the REMAX community for his million-dollar smile, larger-than-life personality and contagious kindness. He first captivated the global REMAX network in late 2013 when he and his then-12-year-old daughter Holly set off on their first Motorcycle for Miracles ride to raise $25,000 for Children’s Miracle Network (CMN). Establishing the Alyssa Rae Johnson Fund, they rode from Canada to Costa Rica and reached their fundraising goal in early 2014. Along the way, REMAX affiliates hosted Johnson and Holly in their homes, welcomed them into their brokerages, and signed a “journey flag” that would later be auctioned to benefit CMN at the annual REMAX R4 convention.

“We’re in awe of the kindness of the people we meet,” Johnson said during the journey.

Wanting to do more, in 2016 the father-daughter duo ventured out on their second Motorcycle for Miracles ride – this time across Canada, coast to coast – before doing so again in 2018 for the “Ends of the Earth Ride,” which took them pole to pole, from the Arctic to Argentina. Together, they raised an astonishing $750,000 during their first three rides.

However, Johnson knew he had even more to give.

Johnson, a REMAX Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, is one man making a big impact, but he’s also part of a network of more than 145,000 REMAX affiliates – many of whom have been inspired by Johnson’s efforts.

Take Jennifer Evelyn, a REMAX Hall of Fame member and agent with REMAX Hallmark First Group in Ajax, Ontario. In 2021, Evelyn set out on a 300-nautical-mile paddleboard journey – from Ontario to Ottawa – to raise money for CMN. Her initial fundraising goal for Paddle for Miracles was $50,000; before she ever launched her journey from SickKids, she had raised more than $70,000 – most of which came from REMAX affiliates.

At the time, Evelyn said, “One of the things Bruce mentioned to me is that people (impacted by Children’s Miracle Network) would be reaching out and sharing their stories. It’s pretty amazing what people are sharing with their lives. I’ve never had that opportunity to go that deep with a lot of these people who have been in my life for years. It’s pretty emotional.”

Trudy Wilson, who Johnson has long championed for her incredible efforts, is another REMAX agent who has gone to great lengths to give back to CMN. The REMAX Hall of Fame member with REMAX Hallmark Eastern Realty in Bridgenorth, Ontario, swam the 380-kilometer (236-mile) Trent-Severn Waterway to raise funds for CMN in honor of her daughter Lauren, who sadly passed away at SickKids from severe birth injuries.

Johnson, Evelyn and Wilson are far from alone in their generosity. For instance, REMAX Gateway in Chantilly, Virginia, recently raised $30,000 for CMN Hospitals and their local member hospital through their 22nd Annual Charity Golf Tournament. Throughout the U.S. and Canada, REMAX affiliates go above and beyond – and have a lasting impact on the children receiving treatment at any of the 170 CMN member hospitals in the two countries.

In 2022, Johnson set out on his fourth Motorcycle for Miracles ride – this time with a goal of raising $250,000 for CMN and his sights set on crossing the $1 million threshold for total donations to CMN Hospitals. The Labrador Ride, as Johnson named it, and the auctioning of the “journey flag” signed by champion agents during the trip, helped Johnson exceed that astounding goal.

Then, in April 2024, Johnson’s life changed dramatically when he was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer and was told he had just months to live. In true Johnson fashion, he didn’t retreat – he reached out.

“I made a video a few days later,” he says. “I’ve always shared everything – the highs and the heartbreaks – so I recorded a message for everyone who’s followed our Motorcycle for Miracles journeys and shared my one regret.

“We’d already raised over $1 million dollars for Children’s Miracle Network,” he says, “but I’d always quietly hoped the Alyssa Rae Johnson Fund, at SickKids in Toronto, would reach $1 million, too.”

Johnson is part of a tight-knit group of REMAX professionals known as Champion Agents – longtime supporters and donors to Motorcycle for Miracles. A few of them, led by Sara Kalke with REMAX Real Estate (Edmonton) in Alberta, decided to take action.

Johnson has always had a powerful connection to the number 11:11, he says.

“After Alyssa passed in 1998, I started seeing 11:11 everywhere – clocks, signs, magazines. It felt like a tap from the universe, like she was saying, ‘Hey Dad, it’s okay.’”

Kalke launched The 11:11 Project. She had hundreds of black and white hats made with 11:11 on the front and invited donations to the Alyssa Rae Johnson Fund. Black hats were given to anyone who donated more than $111; white hats were given to anyone who donated more than $1,111.

In a matter of weeks, the fundraising project raised more than $100,000, and Johnson appeared on stage at Activate, REMAX Canada’s annual conference. That’s when then REMAX Canada President Christopher Alexander announced the Alyssa Rae Johnson Fund had hit the million-dollar mark.

“I looked out and saw a few hundred people – almost all wearing 11:11 hats. I hadn’t noticed until that moment. It was overwhelming,” Johnson says, calling it one of the most remarkable moments of his life. “It was a beautiful, heartfelt gesture from Sara, from everyone. And that’s how we all got the Alyssa Rae Johnson Fund over $1 million.”

To date, Johnson’s efforts have resulted in total donations of $1,232,000 – with 100% of those funds benefiting children through CMN and SickKids.

“We’re grateful to witness the spirit of generosity so that kids can be helped or even cured – and go on to the important business of being a kid again!” Johnson says on his website, motorcycleformiracles.com.

Always up for an adventure and for supporting the health of children, Johnson says he may not be finished just yet.

“I’m sure somewhere down the line I’ve got one more Motorcycle for Miracles journey in me,” he says. “I’ve been given a stunning reprieve due to an extremely rare genetic mutation in my lung cancer and, because of this, I take three very powerful little pills each day and they are fighting to keep things from spreading. Fingers crossed I’ll get a good long run out of this drug and hopefully a new medicine or even a cure will be waiting down the road.”

August marks the annual REMAX Month of Miracles, a time for celebrating the ongoing contributions made by REMAX affiliates to support the health of children and to elevate the important cause and longtime philanthropic partnership.

Since 1992, REMAX has proudly partnered with Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals to help fund the care and treatment of millions of children in the U.S. and Canada. In total, REMAX affiliates have donated more than $218 million to the cause.

This Month of Miracles, take time to applaud the incredible philanthropic work REMAX affiliates do all year long. To share initiatives, events and big wins supporting Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, email news@remax.com.

Learn more about the REMAX Miracle Home and Miracle Property Program today, or connect with a REMAX agent at remax.com.