Zero Ceiling Society Annual Fundraiser
Photo – Dave Silver
April 3rd is the annual fundraiser for the Zero Ceiling Society of Canada. The ‘Hullabaloo’ will be held at Scandinave Spa in Whistler. Tickets are $60, and provide access to the spa beginning at 7 p.m. before the party kicks off at 9 p.m. There will be live music, food, drink and of course, an auction, with all proceeds going to Zero Ceiling. One of the big auction items this year is a 7 Day Heliski Safari with Last Frontier Heliskiing. This is pretty much the ultimate heliski trip. The Heliski Safari allows you to book multiple nights at both our Bell 2 and Ripley Creek locations and gives you a chance to really explore what is the world’s single largest heliski tenure.
Founded in 1997 by Whistler local and mountain enthusiast Chris Winter, Zero Ceiling is an organization dedicated to helping at risk and homeless youth from the Greater Vancouver Area and Sea to Sky Corridor. Through adventure-based programs, Zero Ceiling has helped over 4000 youth in the last 17 years. While Zero Ceiling has a multitude of different programs, one of the more innovative programs they offer is their 6 month Work to Live Program.
Photo courtesy of Zero Ceiling
Accepting 4 youths between the ages of 19-24 each winter, the program runs from November 1st through the winter season. Each participant, many of whom have literally been living under the Burrard Street Bridge, are set up with a job and place to stay courtesy of WhistlerBlackcomb. They are given a local mentor who meets with them once per week. They have access to counseling services, support, an outreach worker once per week and of course, ‘Ride Development’. Zero Ceiling takes kids up the mountain. Whether it’s snowboarding, skiing or in the summer, riding bikes, in all programs, youth are set up to participate in adventure and mountain sports. For the Work to Live Program, each youth takes an Avalanche Skills Training Course, many take the CASI snowboard instructor level 1 course. There are also committed to 4 hours of volunteer work each month in the community. There are incentive programs, and encouragement for whatever each participant’s interests are. Kasi Lubin, the Exectutive Director of Zero Ceiling described it as such: “We try and cultivate their interests. If they enjoy writing, we hook them up with the local writers group. If they are into the arts, we hook them up with the Whistler Arts Council.” One of the great things about living in and around Whistler is the wealth of talent in the area. Zero Ceiling has relationships with a variety of local organizations and has a big crew of local volunteers.
Photo – Randy Lincks
For more info on Zero Ceiling, please visit www.zeroceiling.org. There you will find info on programs, how to volunteer, as well as information on their Hullabaloo fundraiser this coming April 3rd. There is also an opportunity to bid on items in the auction online, so feel free to have a browse. There are some fantastic items up for grabs this year and all proceeds go to a great cause that helps those in our society who are so often forgotten.
Be safe, ski hard.
For More info visit: www.zeroceiling.org
About D'Arcy McLeish
Writer, copywriter, professional ski patroller, rope access technician, mountain rescue specialist, coffee addict, CBC listener. When not doing any of these things, you'll find D'Arcy either reading, climbing or riding his bike. He lives in Squamish, British Columbia.View all posts by D'Arcy McLeish