The sun was shining and there were smiles all around for the Whistler Community Services Society’s (WCSS) 35th-anniversary celebration.
The July 11 parking-lot party at 8000 Nesters Rd saw flocks of Whistlerites and WCSS staff unite over food and games, sweet treats, a photo booth and face painting. Attendees lined up for a bite to eat from Splitz Grill, with music, bubble machines and water-misters creating a fun yet cool atmosphere for the celebration.
WCSS has been a bedrock of social support in Whistler since its inception, starting with a Christmas hamper program, a food bank and an outreach team. Since 1989, it has evolved to include more than 50 staff who oversee two social enterprises which raise millions of dollars for community services. The Re-Use-It and Re-BuiId-It Centres divert a metric tonne of waste every day, while annually WCSS outreach services connect with more than 8,000 people, all five local schools receive 100,000 snacks, and the food bank has 20,000 visits. Other funding comes from a refundable recycling program, and would-be contractors can access tools by becoming a member at the Tool Library
Jackie Dickinson, executive director for the organization, beamed with pride as she discussed what the birthday means for WCSS and Whistler’s community.
“We're celebrating 35 years of growth and development and response to a changing community. And I think that some people wonder like, ‘is that something we celebrate?’ I think we celebrate when people ask for help,” she said.
The birthday party was almost a year in the making, and Dickinson gave credit to Cara Burrows, Dave Clark and Jenn Hashimoto for planning and execution.
“Literally after last year's event, which was our first big birthday party bash we've had in our parking lot, they were planning for 11 months straight for today to happen,” she said. “Our focus was to really provide an atmosphere where someone walked in, and they didn't have to pay a cent.”
WCSS used social media and signage to get the word out, and their advertisements highlighted the diverse range of people who frequent their services to ensure everyone knew they are welcome.
Dickinson tipped her hat to Splitz Grill owners, Lindsay and Peter Goff, for donating food and their time to flip burgers for the community. Nesters Market came with cupcakes and another hot day essential—ice and coolers—to keep everything cold on a day with temperatures hitting 30 C.
Games for the day included corn hole tosses and guessing mystery cans of food. Guests shook unlabelled canned goods and speculated what was inside, then wrote their answers down for a chance to win a $25 gift card at Nesters.
While some waited in line for delicious burgers, other people sat down for face-painting under the shade tents, grabbed cotton candy or took silly photos commemorating the day in a photo booth.
WCSS’ headquarters are open for anyone who wants to come in and ask for help, with air conditioning providing welcome relief from the intense summer sun. Inside, the food bank has volunteers working 37 shifts a week. It’s open Mondays and Fridays from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m., and Wednesdays from 1:30 to 5:30 p.m.
WCSS' community-care model includes safer sex and drug-use kits, and staff are trained to use a mass spectrometer for drug testing, which can save lives from contaminated drugs.
The space even has a cooling centre and room for cots when someone needs to rest.
The Re-Use It Centre is conveniently located on site, with gently used treasures for whatever needs bring you into the space—from festival clothes to houseware, work attire, fashion accessories and more.
Dickinson said she appreciates when people tell her they’ve donated a closet full of clothing just to turn around and buy a whole new wardrobe from the centre—not because it generates revenue, but because it’s an ethical fashion choice.
“I appreciate when people are buying second-hand, and they're not subscribing to this textile industry that is just incredibly wasteful and built on business models that are so unethical," she said. "That's powerful.”
The core of Dickinson’s message and the WCSS’ goal for the community is normalizing asking for and receiving help, a value that’s worth celebrating as the organization's services continue to evolve to meet community needs.
“We've created within charitable work a focus on giving. We haven't always focused on what that looks like when we need to receive it. And I think that's a conversation that needs to be more at the forefront," she said. "We can develop a healthy community by people asking for help.”
Find more resources, or donate to the cause, at mywcss.org.
