By Andrew Mitchell
Over two nights this summer volunteers from the Whistler-Blackcomb Habitat Improvement Team helped load two containers of mountain clothing and other aid items for shipment to an impoverished area of Romania.
Whistler-Blackcomb got involved in the project through the International Rotary, and quickly established a relationship with a rural, mountainous region in Romania where there is a need for winter clothing. Unemployment is around 50 per cent there, and recovery has been slow since the fall of communism.
The latest shipment arrived in Romania in mid-December, with an internationally certified aid agency in Romania distributing clothing, computers, and medical supplies as needed. The clothing will help to keep people warm and dry through the winter months, while items like computers and phones will help them build their economy.
So far Whistler-Blackcomb has sent over 15,000 winter clothing items to Romania since 2002. Whistler-Blackcomb also supplies in-country consulting for tourism, and sponsors a ski program for orphans.
