West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country MP, Patrick Weiler, was in Whistler last week to commemorate the investment of a little under $100,000 in local community groups with a customary oversized check.
Speaking at the Whistler Racket Club before a modest showing of Mature Action Community (MAC) members at a coffee and conversation drop-in event, Weiler said he was there for “two announcements, for two very deserving organizations that are indispensable in the community.”
The funding—$99,522 worth—went to both MAC and the Whistler Community Services Society, notably for the less forward-facing aspects of the operation, but certainly some of the most important: Logistics.
Almost $23,000 went to MAC for the redevelopment of its website, while almost $70,000 went to the WCSS to upgrade its IT infrastructure.
“It’s often challenging as a community-service organization to get that kind of back-end core funding,” said Weiler.
“It’s really foundational for the work they do, and for Whistler MAC it was to build a new website so members could communicate with each other and have their membership and events in one place, and kind of have a one-stop shop, and for Whistler Community Services it was for upgrading all their IT infrastructure that is critical.
“It’s groups like these that are so critical for the community, not just in a time of need, but always. We really leaned on them over the course of the pandemic, so this kind of funding is for the kind of unsexy things that are critical to what they do.”
Cheryl Green, MAC’s communications director, worked as the website project coordinator. Speaking to the new website launched in mid-June, Green said it was designed to be a streamlined, accessible resource for members of the 55-plus community to keep in touch, access resources, and learn about what is happening in their community.
Beyond that, it is a showcase to aging well.
“I think what was most important to me … I really wanted to showcase the 55-plus crowd here in Whistler,” said Green.
“Showing them doing different things, doing what they love to do, and really aging well in Whistler, and I hope you all see that when you look at the website.”
You can visit the website at whistlermac.org.
MAC also received funding from the New Horizons for Seniors Program—a federal grant program designed to invest in seniors to stay active and engaged in their communities—with that funding to go towards its ongoing Making Connections program for people living with dementia, and their caregivers.
The funding for the WCSS allowed it to upgrade its IT infrastructure so it can better serve the 25,000-plus people who access its services.
Director of fundraising and community engagement with the WCSS, Dave Clark, said in a release the funding was important to improving access to much-needed services.
“These funds have allowed us to upgrade our IT infrastructure to ensure effective communication and services are available to our clients," he said. "Technology upgrades have allowed us to not only upgrade equipment, but it has allowed us to expand the number of third-party support services that we can have in our space to support marginalized members of our community. All of this makes for a more inclusive level of support.”
Funding for the logistics side of both organizations came from the federal Community Services Recovery Fund, which Weiler explained was designed specifically to support groups communities leaned on through the pandemic. It was set up in 2021 as a one-time, $400-million, Canada-wide injection of funds for vital community services. More than 11,570 projects have been funded through the program.
