Re-Use-It Price Comparisons, We're doing pretty good!

The Re-Use-It Centre has a couple of important goals our staff thinks about every day.  The first is to provide funding for all the great & important social programs run through Whistler Community Services Society (WCSS).  The second is to help create a sustainable community by recycling and keeping as much as possible out of the landfill.  In order to meet our first goal we need our prices to be competitive.  So off to the city we went to check out the other thrift & consignment shops - both for profit and not-for-profit.  Well as we happily discovered, we are the cheapest around!  That is great news for both our shoppers and for those we support in our programs.

One of the biggest challenges we have at the Re-Use-It Centre is space.  Where all the other thrift shops we visited had an abundance of space to spread out and show everything off, we have to pack things in a little tighter.  That means you have to hunt sometimes for the perfect treasure!  Another challenge we face in Whistler that we are sure is a problem the other stores would love to have is the volume of donations we have to get through on a daily basis.  This is a big reason why we can keep our prices so low.  We have a very generous community that think about us when they are moving or cleaning house!  Thanks Whistler!  Additionally, our staff does a great job at managing this mountain of donations everyday so we can get all those great things onto the floor for you to enjoy.

Thanks Whistler for supporting our community charity.  You are important and are making a big difference in the lives of those who live right here and to the planet for keeping our little slice of beautiful life a bit more sustainable.

Cheryl Skribe, Manager:  Re-Use-It Centre, Whistler, BC

Comparison Shopping Trip to Vancouver:
Wednesday October 2nd, 2013 * Value Village, Wildlife Refuge are privately owned For-Profit stores.  Value Village & Wildlife Refuge rely on donations. **Sports Junkies is a privately owned For-Profit Store based on consignment sales only. *** RE-Use-It, Salvation Army & My Sister's Closet are Non-Profit Stores with 100% of the profits going toward supporting Charity.

Today is 'World Mental Health Day'...what does Mental Health mean to you?

For those of us here at WCSS that work closely with clients who live with mental illness it means being ready to provide nonjudgmental support, resources and referrals. A safe, confidential listening ear can go a long way in supporting someone while they navigate the Mental Health care system.  The current stats say about 20% of the Canadian population will personally experience a mental illness in their lifetime. Therefore, it isn't a surprise to outreach workers that the number one referral they make is to the Counselling Assistance Fund which provides low cost options for therapy. Unfortunately, many people feel shame about asking for help which often leads them to self medicate or wait to seek help which can have leave them in much worse shape.The stigma attached to mental illness needs to be changed and can only be done if everyone makes an effort to accept their family, friends and coworkers who may be faced with a mental health challenge.  So, on this day recognizing 'World Mental Health Day' please take a moment to consider how you can support someone in a nonjudgmental way.
Some resources on the web:
Kelty Mental Health Resource Centre - BC's information source for children, youth & families
Canadian Mental Health Association - fast facts about mental illness
Here to Help - mental health and substance abuse information

Ride for Dreams

Follow Dave on his 3000 km Bike Ride from Whistler, BC to California to raise money to help financially restricted youth in Whistler the opportunity to attend camp.

In partnership with Whistler Community Services Society (WCSS) http://www.mywcss.org and Comor Sports Whistler http://www.comorsports.com we plan to expand WCSS's existing Summer Camp Fund program. The program currently helps send kids to summer camp that wouldn't otherwise get to go. The goal is to expand it to a year round program to help kids with sports related goals (camps, coaching, traveling to contests,etc)

Along the way Dave will be blogging (written and video), and shooting lots of photos. These will be posted on his personal website: http://www.daveweale.com and in the updates section of this campaign. If you would like to support Dave and his efforts please visit http://www.mywcss.org/pages/donate.

Check out where he has been so far. Go Dave!