Time is running out to get immortalized in Whistler’s one-of-a-kind puzzle while giving back to the Whistler Community Services Society (WCSS).
The “See You in Whistler” puzzle by Lorne Craig is making a comeback since its first edition in 2020, with proceeds once again going to the Whistler Community Services Society. The last puzzle raised $6,000 for WCSS. Alongside Whistler’s landscape, cartoonist and designer Craig will draw individuals into the art as a larger-than-life character, and local businesses can also get immortalized into the Village, Creekside or Function Junction for a price. The project’s fundraiser ends June 27.
There are only 20 spaces for individuals and 15 for businesses, but the project needs locals, businesses and international Whistlerites to purchase the puzzle in advance to make it financially viable. One puzzle costs $44, whereas an individual draw-in is $219 and a business buy-in is $349. The bigger buys also come with extra perks.
See you in Whistler puzzle
As anyone out on a powder day in Whistler can attest, finding each other can be a bit of a challenge. This feature of the ski town is embedded into the puzzle, with hidden Easter eggs puzzlers can search for once completing the picture.
“There's a whole list of stuff you can find. So once the puzzle is made, you know the kids can spend hours looking for all that stuff,” Craig said.
With the fundraiser deadline looming, Craig needs to meet his goal of $12,000—the bare minimum price for production, donations and paying the artist.
“I have to make the call whether the number is going to work or not by the 27th. It's right on the line. If I said yes now, I could do it. And we would just pay for the printing and the shipping of everything,” he said. “So, if people like the idea, buy some. It’s helping a good cause and it’s a fun product you can’t get anywhere else.”
The puzzles are made in the U.S., which ensures their quality and keeps production as local as possible while reducing shipping carbon emissions
If Craig doesn’t meet the deadline, he’s planning to pause the puzzle project.
The piece is special to Craig as an artist because of the interactive nature.
“As a cartoonist, I often do things that are illustration for an ad or a piece of artwork for a social post and it's sort of there and gone. This is a thing where people spend time with the art and they're looking at every little piece,” he said. “So, it's very rewarding to know that people are enjoying my work.”
Donations down at WCSS
There’s something poetic about a puzzle as a fundraiser for the WCSS, a group whose services help people fit in and reflect the needs of Whistler. WCSS services include no-cost support for mental-health challenges, financial insecurity and substance use, the Whistler Food Bank and the Re-Use-It and Re-Build-It centres.
The society celebrates 35 years in Whistler with a birthday celebration July 11 at 8000 Nesters Road from 5 to 7 p.m., with games, cake and food from Splitz Grill.
But services also need support to run, and Dave Clark, director of fundraising and community engagement for WCSS, said donations in the last couple of years are declining, a trend he said is seen across non-profit sectors with inflation chewing up people’s ability to give back.
However, increased understanding around the need for community support for food security and mental health are cushioning the decline.
“We’re seeing a decline in overall donations, and the speed at which donations are rolling in,” Clark said. “I think there's levels of understanding within society that are helping to keep everything a bit more elevated than it would have done in other financial crises we've seen in the past.”
This year’s food bank fundraiser saw $90,000 raised, and last year, they raised $118,000.
“We're super thrilled that we're able to meet our goal, but when we do compare year over year, there's a downward trend,” Clark said.
The downward trend has been for the last 12 to 24 months, but compared to the last 10 years, Clark said the society is still on an upward trajectory.
“Similar to a stock market ticker, the last 10 years do continue to upward trend, but in between that there are ups and downs," he said. "So, I think we're currently experiencing one of those downward current trends."
The cash-in-hand fundraiser is important because WCSS has more buying power than the average consumer, and so while food donations are welcome, cash helps the food bank purchase items people need based on dietary restrictions and nutrition.
Food donations are still welcome, and Clark noted items that are often overlooked include cereals and protein bars—food people can eat without access to a facility for boiling water.
The Re-Use-It and Re-Build-It centres always need more furniture, clothing and construction materials, and items sold go to supporting community programs and diverts waste from landfills.
Another passive way to give back is through WCSS’ refundable recycling program run at various stratas in Whistler.
“We can arrange to come by your strata development and pick up your refundables, and again, all that money that comes from that goes directly back into programming,” Clark said.
Anyone interested in getting involved in the refundable recycling program can ask for more information by calling the Re-Build-It Centre in Function Junction.
Craig’s puzzle is also a solid choice for the environment, with the entire work of art being recyclable.
“If you get frustrated by it, you chuck it in the recycling bin," he said. "It's not going to be a bunch of micro plastic leaching into the world forever. It’s satisfying on a number of levels."
