Media Release

For Immediate Release – Whistler, British Columbia, January 7, 2021

We are proud to have partnered with Community Foundations of Canada and the Government of Canada to deliver the Government of Canada’s Emergency Community Support Fund (ECSF) in Whistler and Pemberton area.

Round 1 of ECSF grants, totaling $40,000, were distributed over the summer and Round 2 launched on October 5, 2020. With Round 2, we’ve invested an additional $30,000 through the ECSF towards local charities and other qualified donees supporting populations experiencing heightened vulnerability during this crisis. We are pleased to announce the ECSF has supported projects including:

Round 1

• $5,000 was invested to fund Whistler Adaptive to provide an additional COVID related measure to continue valuable sport activities that improve the physical and mental health of participants;
• $10,000 was invested to fund Zero Ceiling’s Work2Live programto provide an added layer of COVID related support systems that are needed to continue healthy eating, social connections, job searches and mental health outreach;
• $10,000 was invested to fund Howe Sound Women’s Centre (HSWC)to host Girls Summer Camps focused on healthy relationships, building friendship and community, empowerment, improving self-esteem and sharing stories and experiences in a safe, confidential and supported environment;
• $4,500 was invested to fund Sea to Sky Community Services for Whistler and Pemberton Better at Hometo provide vital transportation, for clients, to appointments outside the community they live in; as well as recruiting and training volunteers who will be providing the transportation;
• $9,500 was invested to fund Whistler Community Services Societyto provide laptops to expand much needed outreach services to include virtual meetings.
• $1000 (+ an additional $5,315 from the WCF Emergency Fund) was invested to fund Whistler Multicultural Societyto establish new outreach channels and partnerships, and adapt the outreach peer educator training to an online environment, in order to build greater awareness and access for vulnerable immigrants/TFWs to settlement support, information and services provided by the Whistler Welcome Centre (WWC).

Round 2

• $14,289 was invested to fund Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre for cultural content digitization by employing a project leader to ensure cultural preservation continues through the pandemic, without it the next seven generations will be jeopardized due to limited resources;
• $5711 was invested to fund Canadian Mental Health Association North & West Vancouver Branch for Empowering Communities in offering mental health crisis response training and awareness in Whistler. The Mental Health First Aid Training (MHFA) helps trainees understand mental health and enable a skillset to manage emergencies without fear;
• $10,000 was invested to fund Sea to Sky Community Services’ Pemberton Mental Health and Social Well-being Youth Group to help address gaps and facilitate an upstream and intervention model for youth that have been severely impacted by the pandemic. The program offers tools to cope with social anxiety, improve mental wellbeing and build connections.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic was declared over 9 months ago, community-based charities and nonprofit organizations have been working endlessly to provide emergency support, in particular to individuals and communities experiencing heightened vulnerability.

“We are inspired by the hard work and dedication of Whistler and Pemberton charities who have been leading the charge to assist those who are impacted the most. And we are proud to be partners in distributing funds to support their programs and services,” said Claire Mozes, Executive Director, Whistler Community Foundation.

Charities, nonprofit organizations and First Nations governments are pillars of their communities who are working relentlessly to serve their communities.  We know the need for funding is still significant and we’re continuing to advocate for broader recovery and stabilization support for the charitable sector.