News

It’s hard to believe we’re coming up on a year since the world shifted into pandemic mode. Many of us, including the Whistler Multicultural Society, were in the middle of meaningful long term program changes when in-person-life came to a halt. In the case of the society, the Advisory Board had just made the move to officially incorporate with finalized paperwork arriving late January 2020.

Expanded to Whistler 4 years ago (and more recently to Pemberton), the HSWC Summer Camp for Girls has become increasingly well attended. But this last year has been different in that more families experienced heightened vulnerability through job loss, health related stress, and pressures from forming relationship bubbles.

For some time, Better at Home has been offering a personalized door to door transportation service for seniors and elders living in the Sea to Sky Corridor. The goal of the Better at Home program is in the title. Seniors and elders who need support generally have better outcomes when living at home in their own community.

An Emergency Community Support Fund grant to adapt the Work2Live Program to the “new normal”, gave the co-executive directors the confidence to keep going, and to employ staff.

Today, all financial assistance programs, food bank, and outreach services are offered in a hybrid approach of virtual or in person. WCSS will continue to supply services remotely because getting programs online reduced client barriers in unexpected ways.