Setting the Record Straight

I’m Setting the Record Straight!

Taking on the role of manager at the WCSS Re-Use-It Centre has been quite an adventure.  The month of May – my first month – was epic to say the least.  I entered the store at the busiest time of the year.  Spring cleaning and the 1000’s of seasonal workers leaving town made for some mind blowing donations.  At times I wondered if we could be buried alive!  And although the donations continue to pour in in record numbers (thank you Whistler!) I finally have my footing and am getting down to the business of running this important place. 

We have two important roles; to support those in need by raising funds for Whistler Community Services Society (WCSS) programs/services and to promote sustainability.  At the Chamber of Commerce Business Awards night a couple weeks back WCSS won the Sustainability award.  It was very cool, because it was the first big high five for the sustainability side of what we do.  Before managing this store I was not a regular to thrift shops but I decided to fully embrace the spirit of the award and go as the Re-Use-It girl!  I shopped off the rack at the store for my outfit (photo above).  Dress - $15, earrings - $4, necklace - $3, handbag - $3, wrap - $5.  I did the same for the Oysterfest at the Bearfoot Bistro. Pants - $6, top - $3.75, ring - $2, bra - $3.50.   I loved my outfits!

I am a true Re-Use-It Centre advocate now! This place rocks!  And it is amazing how many rumours are circulating out there that aren’t just true.  So as the new manager, I need to set the record straight on a few of those Re-Use-It myths. 

1.       The Employees get all the good stuff.  Nope!  Not even close to being true.  In the month of May we processed 2219 garbage bag equivalents of donations.  In June it was 2443 bags.  That is a lot of stuff!  And consequently a lot of great stuff!  If the employees did in fact get all the good stuff, they would essentially have moved the Re-Use-It Centre to their homes.  Not something any of us want.  Sure there are perks to this back breaking work, in that we get to see everything before it goes on the floor, but we all exercise a great deal of restraint when deciding what we purchase to take home.  We gotta love it!

2.       We’re Expensive.  Sure our primary role is to fund the many important social programs in Whistler, but we are still a business.  And it would be just plain silly of us not to do our best to remain competitive in the discounted retail environment.  So we price check our competition regularly.  This includes Consignment and Thrift shops in Squamish and Vancouver as well as Walmart and the dollar stores.  Ask us about it next time you are in the store. 

3.       What about all those TV’s?  Here is the myth busted about all those TV’s wrapped up outside.  We’re not taking them home!  They’re broken!  We have a very success recycle program whose proceeds are becoming important contributors to all those programs we support.  Actually you can bring down pretty much any electronic thing with a cord and we can put it into its proper recycling spot.  That goes for your lights, bulbs & drinking bottles too.  When you recycle with us you support your community. 

4.       We throw things away.  Ok we do!  Not a lot, but we do.  Of the 2219 bags of donations we got in May, 235 of those went into the land fill.  Along with all the great things that come in, we do get garbage – broken things, ripped, torn or unusable items that just don’t qualify for our store or our charitable partners.  We even get people’s garbage (we hope by accident) every once in a while.  But don’t you think it’s pretty amazing that of the 2219 bags of donations only 235 went into the land fill?

The health of our community depends on the success of the Re-Use-It Centre.  Thank you for your support Whistler – be it as a donor or a shopper.  We love seeing the smile on your face when you offer your spring cleaning donations to our receivers or when you find that perfect ‘treasure’ for a fraction of its real cost!   

Cheryl Skribe – Manager, Re-Use-It Centre,Whistler

Old News with guest blogger Vicki Crompton

So, Baby Boomers, here we are –on the brink of official old-agedom.  I consider myself slightly behind the leading edge – born in 1947 when peace was new, optimism ran high, and young men and women were breeding apace.  We are the product -the embodiment of their optimism, lobbed confidently into a future built on foundations of peace, antibiotics, plastics, refrigerators, two car garages, and cheap mortgages. 

Fast-forward a lifetime.  We have been a force to be reckoned with. We have  worked for gender, sexual and ethnic equality, fueled the exploding world of communication technology and made a religion of recycling .  On the other hand, we have unraveled the peace, amassed monster debt, and compromised our environment.  As it turns out, we aren’t any better than anybody else. There are just more of us. Innovation has occurred in response to our numbers. Think of kindergarten, racquetball, and marketing strategies directed to our considerable buying power. 

So now we are peering around the corner, wondering how the world will respond to this next stage. We aren’t shiny and new any more. We’re losing hair and gaining weight. But we are entering an exciting stage of our lives – the perfect storm – when money, time, and health converge. I know we aren’t all rich, fit, layabouts, but if we’ve played our cards right, many will have some happy, productive years ahead. And those of us who live in Whistler have jumped the gun – we are in paradise already.

As we have always had an impact in the past, we now look to the future and hope our community will be able to respond to our needs.  As we have grown and evolved, so has Whistler. When it was young and raunchy – so were we.  Early on, old people left the community – it simply wasn’t practical to stay.  But now, many who have lived and worked here forever – who have brought up their families here - want to stay; to ‘age in place’.  Many who have had vacation homes in Whistler want to retire here. The good news is that changes to make Whistler a senior friendly community are already happening. The Mature Action Committee (MAC) has worked hard to establish cost controlled seniors housing.  A Seniors Needs Action Planner has been hired by Whistler Community Services to assess the needs of local seniors and respond to them.  We are on the cusp of change. Whistler seniors have a great opportunity to be part of creating a dynamic vision for our community.  The future looks bright – put on your shades!