The Inside Scoop On Discount Cards for Seniors in Whistler

There is a large debate when you speak about the need for a senior’s discount. I've heard all side of the debate, and lots of opinions. When I started writing this article I began researching the history of how the infamous “seniors discount' came about. What I found was that there is very little documented history and each business seems to have their own way of dealing with customer discounts.

The seniors discount was created for a generation who had survived the great depression, were living longer and had a very small savings, pension or were surviving just on old age security. The seniors discount was a way of supporting older adults by offsetting the cost of their purchases. As a child I was one to always razz my parents about their age and specifically when they were in their 60's reminded them at every time of purchase that they now qualified for a 'senior discount'. This would often result in a set of rolling eyes in my direction. The baby boomer generation has over whelmed the manner in which society viewed everything from birth, workforce, parenting and aging. According to Statistics Canada, “During that time (1946-1965), more than 8.2 million babies were born, an average of close to 412,000 a year” And I thought that Whistler was having a baby boom! With a large portion of the population aging at the same time and using discounts, challenges could arise for businesses if too much of their product is discounted so many choose not to and take a more inclusive approach with ‘membership cards’ for loyal customers not designated by age.

I have done some research around Whistler to see which businesses offer a 'seniors discount'. The results were interesting; there are very few stores to offer discounts. There is a drug store which offers a seniors discount on regular basis, the movie theater offers a reduced price and of course you can buy a mountain ski pass for less but otherwise I couldn’t find much in the way of a senior specific discount. However, seniors don’t be discouraged because there are two stores that do offer a Seniors Discount Card- Re Use It Centre and Re Build It Centre. These cards are available to anyone 60 years or older and can be used every day of the week. The cards are a way for WCSS to say thank you to the older adults in Whistler for the years of donating and shopping at the stores. At the Re Use It Centre this card offers 50% off clothing, kitchenware, linen and books. The Re Build It Centre offers 50% off any item under $20. All of the profits from both stores go directly to Whistler Community Services Society (WCSS) to fund 25 programs and services such as Counseling Assistance, Summer Camp Fund and Outreach Services including the Seniors Needs Action Planner (SNAP) role. So, if you are 60 years or older, the next time you are shopping at the Re Use It Centre or the Re Build It Centre please sign up for your Seniors Discount Card and remember that every time you donate or shop you are supporting your community.

The Chief Challenge 2014

The staff of the Whistler Community Services Society hiked the Stawamus Chief in Squamish this morning, in support of Sea to Sky Community Services Centerpoint project. Hike the Chief as many times as you can in May 2014. Strengthen yourself, strengthen your community.

See more at: http://www.buildingopportunities.ca/chief-challenge

A call out for grandparents

Why am I recruiting grandparents? With all the benefits that Whistler offers as a community it lacks the generations of families living in the same town to be called on when a new family member is born. In the past few years, Whistler has experienced a baby boom and with many first time parents having extended families that live in other provinces or around the world there is a gap in intergenerational support. A natural part of being a new parent is experiencing uncertainty as you are learning about this little human who has just turned your world upside down. A senior who may have their own children and grandchildren is able to provide some perspective to parenthood and an extra set of experienced 'grandma or grandpa' hands for a new family is never turned down. 
Hopefully I have sparked your interest as Whistler Community Services Society (WCSS) offers a program called Helping Hand that supports new parents who might need an extra help and we are looking for additional volunteers. What would a recruited Helping Hand Grandparent be doing? Some of the tasks that a volunteer may assist with are: preparing a simple nutritious meal for the family, helping around the house and playing with the newborn’s siblings. If there is an older child a walk around the neighborhood or to the park to play would be a great way to spend an hour. Watching the world through the eyes of a young child is magical. I recently learned how much fun watching a stick twirl in a puddle is for a 2 year old. My world slowed down in that moment. A quick trip to pick up groceries or mail could also make the difference to a new family since organizing and packing up a new baby can take longer than the simple errand for milk. Seniors in our community who are parents and grandparents can identify with how much laundry is created by babies, so helping do a load of laundry and putting it away could be one thing to help make a new parent feel less overwhelmed. If you are a ‘hands on’ kind of person, spending an hour in a rocking chair, cuddling a new baby may give mom a break to have a shower or cross a task off her long to do list. What's wonderful about this program is that volunteers have the flexibility to select a task if it fits their interest and schedule. This is excellent for those who are retired and looking to give back to the community without any set schedule. Seniors have a wealth of knowledge from their life experience and the challenges they may face on their own. You might be asking yourself “What's in it for me?” Supporting another member of our community brings feelings of purpose, an opportunity for fun, and the development of new relationships. An hour a week of volunteering can impact the life of the individual receiving the support so if you are interested in volunteering or are in need of support please contact Melissa at helpinghand@mywcss.org, 604-902-0865. WCSS will try to lend a Helping Hand.

Volunteers Support & Inspire

The impact that volunteers have at Whistler Community Services Society (WCSS) is powerful and should be celebrated. Volunteers at WCSS provide energy and inspiration for staff and clients. There is also a significant, positive economic impact on our non-profit society that can be attributed to volunteer support.

The energy and inspiration can be found in many programs at WCSS where volunteer participation is prevalent. One example of this is at the Food Bank. Every Monday, Food Bank volunteers arrive early and start to unpack and shelve donations. There is a lovely buzz of energy as the volleys socialize while working. As one long term volunteer puts it, “Volunteering gets me out of the house and gives me purpose.  I like to interact with my fellow Whistlerites and lend hand.  It makes me feel good to know I can be helpful. Most of all I develop new friends and learn from others." Their energy is infectious and as an employee when you look around the room and see five individuals who have given up a portion of their day to assist people who don’t have enough to eat, you feel inspired to work that much harder.

Food Bank Volunteer collects cash and fresh produce at the
Whistler Farmer's Market

Volunteers’ actions can also have an inspiring impact on the people they help directly.  A recent client of WCSS who received volunteer support in the Helping Hand program wrote, "I would like to thank you for all your support and help you have given me in the last few months.  Before I had my injury I had no idea how much I might benefit from the Helping Hand program and other community services.  Everything, from you coming to my house and providing information on all services that were available to me and also talking to me about my injury and daily challenges, to finding volunteers that could get me to the swimming pool for rehab, to giving me a credit towards the cost of using the pool, it has all had such a positive impact on my life!  I also appreciate how the support is ongoing and how I get phone calls from you to follow up on how I am doing or to let me know about other forms of support I may be eligible for.  Living in Whistler as a family with two young kids and no other family around to help can be overwhelming, especially when you get injured and only have one income.  It is so good to know that, apart from friends, we have our community services out there, where there are people who really care and who will step in to help when you are feeling stuck or don't know where else to turn.  Thank you so much!  I am looking forward to being better and able to give back a little!” In fact, WCSS does see many people come back to be part of our volunteer team once they are in a place in their lives where they are able to be in a supportive role.

At WCSS, we track the number of hours that are given by volunteers. The tracking allows WCSS to have an understanding of how integral volunteer support is to being able to provide extensive social service programming for the Whistler community. Imagine Canada, with whom WCSS is accredited by uses a Volunteer Value Calculator to help quantify the economic impact that volunteers have on non-profit organizations.  WCSS acknowledges that the energy, generosity and knowledge that volunteers bring to our organization can’t be measured or counted easily.  However, it is useful to measure some aspects of contributions such as amount of time and economic impact. When plugging the number of hours volunteered last year (4680) into the Imagine Canada calculator, we get the following statistics: Volunteers at WCSS contributed the equivalent of $78, 120 in salaries, or 2.3 full-time year-round jobs. For every dollar WCSS invests in its volunteer program, we receive a return valued at $15.62 in unpaid volunteer activity. Just another reason to be thankful for our dedicated volunteers- WCSS would not be capable of running over 25 social service programs without ongoing volunteer support. 

If this blog has inspired you to contribute to the social sustainability of Whistler Community Services Society (WCSS), please consider giving some time to the FoodBank, Helping Hand program, Re Use It Centre, Re Build It Centre, Peer Educator program, or fundraising events. Your time and energy will be appreciated by the entire community as you help to improve the quality of life for those in need of support.

Troutsmen Raise Money for WCSS Summer Camp Fund

Thank you to the Troutsmen International Club of Leisure for supporting Whistler Community Services Society's Summer Camp Fund. This year's Valentines Day party raised $1250.00, which will help send local, financially restricted youth to camp. The Troutsmen have been a valuable community partner and WCSS is grateful for their ongoing support.

 

 

 

55+ Snowshoeing FREE and a great way to get some fresh air and give your ski legs a break!

There is one critical requirement to run a successful snowshoe program, SNOW.  It has been a long time coming to Whistler this winter but over the last few weeks we have had plenty. The Whistler Community Services Society (WCSS) snowshoe program has now been successful for the past 3 years with approximately 90 people participating each year.  Due to the winter parking restrictions the group has previously started out at Function Junction where a parking lot is cleared and many trail options exist.  This year though, the location became problematic with limited snow and some very uninviting icy paths.  A good friend reminds me time and time again that ‘safety never takes a vacation’ so it was decided at week 6 with no snow we needed to change the location to a space that would still provide a cleared parking lot but safer options for ‘winter walking’.  Sure enough or may that be fate; the moment I decide to change the location the snow begins to fall.  Our new location offers wonderful trails as well so we’re sticking with it until spring. The weekly Wednesday Snowshoe group for those 55+ is now meeting at the front door of Meadow Park Sports Center.  Anyone 55+ is welcome to join us, and absolutely no experience is required. Participants are required to bring their own equipment and one thing to determine is poles or no poles? I get asked this question quite a bit and from a safety standard, they do assist with balance and can be very handy if you are going up steep inclines.  If you don’t own any, try the Re Use It Centre for a pair of ski poles, any type will do the trick. It’s a personal preference though, so just think about what would feel the most comfortable.  Of course snowshoes are the essential piece of equipment. I have learned about a variety of different models of snowshoes, and while I’m not an expert feel free to ask me questions if you’re trying to but just encourage people to try on a few pairs before hitting the trails.  Also, after an experience of one lady losing a snowshoe mid walk, I have learned to ensure everyone is done up correctly before we start.  After the sign in and a quick welcome, it is time to get the snowshoes on and set off on our little adventure.  We all know that Whistler was built by people who wish to challenge themselves so those who wish to carry a faster pace naturally find themselves at the front of the group.  There are 2 people to lead the group though, so when the group splits there will always be a leader from WCSS.  So, if you are recovering from an injury or aren’t the fastest in the group, please don’t worry about being too slow, or tripping up, there will always be a group pace that best suits everyone. This is a one-hour time slot that goes by very fast as conversations get started and before you know it, we are turning around.  The group snowshoes from 9am-10am with the opportunity to go and continue conversations along with a coffee after our session.  Snowshoeing is low impact but can be quite tiring depending on how much snow you have to go though.  It is ideal to dress in layers as if you were going out cross-country skiing as you can work up a sweat.   "Snowshoeing is the best bang-for-your-buck, fat-burning workout in winter," according to Dr. Ray Browning of the Center for Human Nutrition at the University of Colorado's Health Science Center and Vail Mountain Man champion. "It's an exceptional way to achieve cardiovascular fitness, expend energy and reduce your chance of heart disease; plus it's low cost, easily mastered and fun." This is a wonderful time to get some fresh air explore some different routes and look at the beautiful winter wonderland we live in.  For more information contact Melissa Deller, Senior Needs Action Planner (SNAP) 604-902-0865 snap@mywcss.org

Did you know:

55+ Snowshoeing

Wednesdays, 9-10am

Meet at front doors of Meadow Park Sports Center

No Snow? No problem.

Looking for fun things to do while we wait for the snow to fall? Here are some fun ideas on a budget while we wait for pow.

Community Kitchens
Fun interactive cooking class where participants learn how to prepare healthy, delicious meals on a budget. (Subsidies available if you are financially restricted, all inquiries are confidential). Contact Sara to book your spot foodbank@mywcss.org or 604 935 7717.

Feb. 3rd Traditional Chinese Cooking
Feb. 24th Raw Coconut Cream Pie
Mar. 1st Raw Dips and Spreads
Mar. 14th Baby's First Foods

Hockey 101
Are you 18-35? Thursday Jan 30th, 7:30-11pm skating + fondue + prizes! Coaches, skates, helmets and dinner provided. 10$ entry. call 604 935 8410 or go to www.lunawhistler.com for more details. 

Check out the Re Use It Center
Shop and get some great deals on everything from clothing to housewares. There are some serious treasures down there!

Community Workshops at the Re Build It Center
Feb. 8th 1-3pm- Wood Furniture and Cabinet repair
Feb 22nd 1-3pm Build Your Own Silverware Coat Rack

Sessions are 25$. Phone or visit store to book space.