Community is an integral part of Rick’s Heart Foundation. Our founder firmly believes in taking care of one another, lifting each other, and encouraging each other. As a member of the Whistler community, he has been giving back to his neighbors for many years. In this story, we will highlight three groups that Rick’s Heart Foundation supports: Soap For Hope, Whistler Adaptive Sports Program, and Whistler Community Services Society.
The Whistler Community is giving back through clothing donations via the Whistler Community Services Society. The clothing donations are going to the Union Gospel Mission ‘Repair to Wear’ program, supporting individuals learning the skill of sewing and providing a stream of income. The ‘Repair to Wear’ program has helped many individuals get back on their own two feet financially and become independent.
Shout out to Louise, for coordinating this!
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Whistler Adaptive is committed to introducing individuals with a disability to sport, recreation and therapeutic sport programming. Whistler Adaptive supports sport for life by breaking down the financial, physical and social barriers as well as creating skills that will lead to future employment within sport and beyond.
NO ONE SHOULD HAVE TO HOPE FOR SOAP
Soap for Hope Canada collects and repurposes hotel hygiene products, linens, and lost & found which would otherwise end up in landfills.
We process these gently used products, extending their useful life, and distribute them to Community Facilities, such as low-income Seniors’ Centres, Shelters, Transition Homes, Food Banks, and more.
In the 80s, Whistler was riding a wave of growth, and then an economic slump slowed things to a halt. Recognizing the ups and downs of living in a resort town, community members came together to open the Whistler Food Bank and start a Christmas hamper program. These visionaries also saw opportunity following the crisis. Instead of using only grants to back the non-profit Whistler Community Services Society, they built a social enterprise to fund programs that respond to the community’s social and emotional wellness needs. The Re-Use-It thrift store opened 20 years ago and is now an economic engine supporting a range of social programs and services while diverting over one tonne every day from landfill.
Stay up to date with Rick’s Heart Foundation and what we do next in Whistler.
