VOLUNTEER OF THE MONTH: LEANA GAERBER
Leana may be best known as our Christmas Eve guest chef who kept her cool even when we suddenly had no running water, but this month we want to highlight just how much Leana contributes behind the scenes. She’s a donor; she’s our volunteer book-keeper; she advised on our website; she found us an accountant; she spiffed up the financial information on our grant applications; and she found us a volunteer grantwriter—yup, she does it all! Thank you Leana—we’re so lucky to have you.
FEB 9 DINNER: INTERACT JOINS US
ROCKS Director Bevin Heath Ansley recently celebrated her birthday by sponsoring our February 9 th dinner. “Supporting a ROCKS meal as a birthday gift felt really goodbecause it turned a personal celebration into something meaningful,” Bevin told us. “There’s a quiet joy in knowing that the gift didn’t just mark another year of my life—it directly nourished others and reminded them that someone cares. It’s a gift that expands outward, leaving a lasting warmth long after the birthday ends.”
Guest chef Kim made a perfectly seasoned vegetarian chili with sour cream, green onions, and cheese, with sourdough and coleslaw, and brownies for dessert. A big shout out to The Bread Warehouse for the sourdough, Alpha Cafe for the brownies and Senka for the beautiful flowers.
Among the 94 guests served were eight fresh-faced members of Interact, the youth Rotary group here in Whistler. They had such a great time that they emailed us two days later advising of their decision to donate the proceeds from their annual fundraising dinner on April 15 th to ROCKS. We’re moved that Interact sees us as an organization that, in their words, “spreads joy and positivity in the community” and we’re honoured by their support. Thank you so much Interact for your enthusiasm and impressive initiative!
The February 9 event cost us around $860. Offset by $354 in donations on the night of the dinner, the total cost of the meal worked out to just over $500.
FEB 23 DINNER: WE ALMOST BROKE EVEN
At our February 23 event guest chef Susan did a fantastic job with the Spaghetti Bolognese, with spinach and roast veggies on the side plus garlic bread. We had 66 guests and 16 volunteers, raising our total to 749 meals served—well on our way to the 1,000 meals we committed to serve when pitching to the 100 Women of Whistler. The tables looked great, with checked tablecloths provided by our ROCKStar laundress Rosie, and beautiful flowers generously donated by Senka.
The event cost us $545, including the operational overheads. Offset by $514 in donations on the night of the event, the meal worked out to a total cost of $31! We almost broke even!
NEXT MEALS – WE’VE BEEN BUSY PLANNING!
March 9: We’ll be serving spanokopitas and salmon-and-spinach phyllo pastries from Daniel’s Kitchen, along with couscous salad, quinoa and kale salad, and lemon barley salad, plus locally-sourced sweet treats for dessert. We have two seatings of 6pm and 7pm – reserve your spot here.
March 30: Gyeat chef Kim is back from to share her famous vegetarian lasanga, served with a ceasar salad. Dessert will be something fresh and fun.
April 13: We are looking for a guest chef to design this menu, if you or anyone you know is interested, please reach out.
April 27: The Jewish Community will be sponsoring dinner and sharing a wonderful variety of traditional Jewish food with our community.
May 11: We’re seeking a guest chef for our May 11 event sponsored by Ziptrek Ecotours, a global leader in zipline tours providing unforgettable adventures high above Whistler’s treetops.
May 23: Will be sponsored by the proceeds of the Interact fundraising. Hopefully our guest chef for that evening will be one of their members, keen to get into the culinary field.
‘BUILD COMMUNITY EVERY DAY’
We’re so proud to be part of the Whistler Community and love sharing it with everyone. The Pique captured how our bucket gets filled, the Whistler Pulse interviewed Rhawnie who shared what ROCKS means to her and we often hear about the impact of a community meal program.
One of our directors recently attended a reading of Maggie Helwig’s highly recommended book Encampment, about the tent encampment Helwig harboured on the grounds of her church in Toronto. In the discussion that followed, Helwig stressed how important it was to “build community every day.” When an audience member asked what an individual can do to resist the rise of fascism, she offered a surprising answer: the number one best thing a person can do is find a community meal program and volunteer for it.
BEHIND-THE-SCENES ROCKStars NEEDED
Do you have experience in grant-writing or creating eye-catching graphics? ROCKS needs you! Interested ROCKStars, please email us at whistler.recreate@gmail.com.
Thanks again for your interest and support!
The Whistler ROCKS team