LETTER: Volunteers are valuable

Editor’s note: Around 53 per cent of the seasonal Volunteer Ambassadors come from Squamish.

On behalf of Whistler Sport Legacies, I would like to thank all volunteers for their valued contribution to Whistler Olympic Park during the 2016/2017 season.

As a not-for-profit organization, we greatly rely on our Volunteer Ambassador program and the support from the community. 

Over 500 shifts and 2,145 hours were logged this winter season, in which our 57 ambassadors were active in snowshoe trail packing, sport school support, assistance for our guest services and rental shop teams and lending a hand to our sport and event operations staff or our ski patrol. 

We are exceptionally grateful that 67 per cent of our volunteers were returning this season, so they could share their knowledge about our venue with fellow volunteers and new seasonal colleagues. 

Especially for our mission to grow sport in the Sea to Sky Corridor, our volunteers are of immense importance. 

A study says that 80 per cent of sport delivery happens through volunteerism. In fact, the sport sector is the only one so dependent on volunteers. 

So we would also like to thank the volunteers who helped with the Nordic clubs’ programs and the many competitions throughout the season. Without their dedication, the sport delivery would be very difficult, if not impossible.

Whistler Olympic Park’s Volunteer Ambassadors contributed to the successful introduction of almost 2,500 elementary school kids to Nordic skiing, they supported our instructors in facilitating youth sport programming and holiday camps, they assisted in preparing the field of play for over 15 Nordic sport competitions in the Park, and they promoted us by spreading the word about our objectives among their friends, family and broader community.

To all the volunteers associated with Whistler Olympic Park, thank you for all your hard work and support. We are looking forward to seeing you again next winter!