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Honouring their second home

American Friends of Whistler foster community development through engagement and dynamic philanthropy
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Mary Forseth at the Adele Campbell Gallery.

Like so many established Whistler residents, Mary Forseth came for the snow, but ultimately stayed for the community. And like so many wannabe residents before them, Mary and her husband faced a familiar challenge: what could they do for a living that would allow them to make a life in this mountain paradise?

When her husband, Doug Forseth, secured an exciting career opportunity with the then singular Whistler Mountain, the couple had already logged considerable time as part-time residents. By the time Whistler and Blackcomb merged under the Intrawest banner in 1997, Mary and Doug were committed: Whistler would be home to this American couple.

Mary, now co-owner of the Adele Campbell Gallery, recently recalled how she and her husband first came to Whistler.

“We were living in Washington, DC then. Doug came home and said he was being transferred to Vancouver,” she recalls.

It was 1985 and Whistler had yet to really gain a footing on the international ski scene. Despite being raised in northeastern Washington State, Mary was unaware of the resort and a little skeptical when her husband said, “I think there’s a ski resort north of Vancouver.”

Mary recalls that a drive north on a beautiful summer day left the two of them smitten.

“That winter we rented a condo with another family. We fell totally in love with the place and bought our first little condo here.”

But again, a transfer came, and this time the Forseths found themselves heading south to San Diego. And then in 1994, while still in Southern California, Doug got a job offer from Whistler Mountain. It came at the perfect time. The Forseths were ready for a change.

“We’re here. And we’re never leaving,” says Mary, the joy evident in her voice.

In the early days at Whistler, the former fitness instructor/Phys Ed teacher, who had worked at such high calibre institutions as Washington State University, was a snowshoe guide. While today her commitment to her business leaves little time for such leisure pursuits, she still manages to pull on her guiding toque once a year for a group that she’s passionate about: the American Friends of Whistler (AFOW).

Both Mary and her husband were born and raised in the U.S. (Doug now enjoys dual citizenship.) By fulfilling a social obligation to friends, they became peripherally involved in the initial development of American Friends of Whistler — an organization for which Mary now sits on the board.

She recalls not being particularly enthused about heading up to the Chateau Whistler’s Mallard Lounge several years ago to give yet another set of “friends of friends” the skinny on Whistler. Her trepidation soon gave way: The two couples got on like the proverbial house on fire. By the end of the weekend the visiting couple had purchased a home in Whistler and the seeds of one of the community’s most important philanthropic groups had been planted. Simon Levin had come to Whistler. Soon Levin would meet Jeff Harbers and the idea to develop an American charitable organization in the Whistler community started to gain momentum.

 

Wanting to give

The stereotype of the American outside of his or her country is not a flattering one: It is the loud tourist who complains that everything is better at home, exploits the environment he’s in and leaves behind a trail of disgruntled locals. The Ugly American.

The epithet originated as the title of a 1958 book by authors William Lederer and Eugene Burdick , which was later a film starring Marlon Brando. In the book, set in Southeast Asia, one of the characters, a Burmese journalist, observes: “A mysterious change seems to come over Americans when they go to a foreign land. They isolate themselves socially. They live pretentiously. They’re loud and ostentatious. Perhaps they’re frightened and defensive, or maybe they're not properly trained and make mistakes out of ignorance.” The men and women involved in AFOW make this stereotype seem not just unfair or untrue, but downright ridiculous.

In 2002, AFOW was officially formed, emerging from a brainstorming session between Levin, a tax lawyer from New York who would become the group’s first president; Harbers, a retired Microsoft executive who would become the group’s second president, and then mayor of Whistler, Hugh O’Reilly. The three men had gotten together to try to figure out how they could create an organization that would provide Americans a deduction on their U.S. tax return for contributing to a Canadian non-profit, Millennium Place.

“Getting Americans able to contribute to Millennium Place, that was the initial impetus behind forming AFOW,” confirms current President Rod Rohda. “Almost before it was fully launched, they took a step back and decided to broaden the appeal of the organization and make it available to any charity in town.”

From its inception, the goal of AFOW was to create mutual benefit for members and the community at large. Whistler would benefit from the organization’s grants and its members would benefit from a structure that kept them up-to-date and informed about the community through their association with full-time residents. The mission of the organization was to raise and distribute funds for health and human services, arts and cultural initiatives and environmental protection, while fostering understanding and friendship between Canadians and Americans. Forseth thinks this is a key aspect of why the AFOW is so successful.

“They realize how special Whistler is. They want to give back. Certain things are important to them. They don’t want to just come and take and enjoy. All of them I’ve met are all very socially responsible, they’re very dedicated, whether it’s to their jobs, their family, their children or second homes,” says Forseth of the AFOW members who maintain dual residency.

This commitment extends to activities that go beyond the group’s charitable focus. In the week between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, a time when there is a heavy concentration of AFOW members and potential members in town, the group holds its major events. These events include such adventurous fare as Ski-With-A-Pro Day and the aforementioned snowshoeing expedition. But it’s an event that fosters community connectedness that draws the most participants and attention. Called Inside Scoop, the annual reception allows members and non-members to meet with the board and find out what’s happening in Whistler on a civic, social and business level.

“Visitors and the AFOW want to know what’s happening, they’re not just passing through, they’re keen to know what’s happening on the mountain and in the village,” explains Forseth. “Ken Melamed comes in and addresses issues around the muni, Doug comes and speaks about things going on with the mountain. If you don’t know a lot of people this is a great way to connect.”

Held at MY Millennium Place on Dec. 27, this year’s Inside Scoop will also feature a concert by Vancouver Island musician Allison Crowe. While the entertainment will certainly be enjoyable, the real focus of the evening is to foster connectedness by updating these dedicated part-timers as to what has happened in their absence and what will be happening during their residency.

Forseth thinks some of the reason for this interest in Whistler may be the fact that there are fewer and fewer places like Whistler in North America.

“My friends back east always said Whistler reminds them of what resorts were years ago. It’s so friendly. I have never lived any place where people are more sincerely friendly, sincerely kind and sincerely willing to help if you need it.

“Other resorts are more concerned about who you are, how you dress and who you know, and that’s just not the case here.”

Acknowledging that not every American second homeowner is involved in AFOW activities, Forseth offers them some food for thought.

“If you’re spending time here and you love Whistler, this is an opportunity to give back.”

 

Why Whistler?

Like Mary and Doug Forseth, Rohda chose Whistler for more than just two of the best ski mountains in North America, he chose Whistler because he fell in love with the community.

Rohda, retired president of Fidelity Investments Life Insurance Companies, and his wife Laurie, spend six months of the year in Whistler and the balance of the year in their native Boston.

“About 10 years ago, my wife and I started looking at places we’d like to retire to,” he explains.

Like many American ski enthusiasts, the Rohdas looked to Colorado as a possibility, but immediately disliked the duality that was present in most of that state’s ski resorts.

“You had the outsiders with their gigantic homes and the people who actually made the community work, and God forbid the two should ever interact,” says Rohda.

When their friends bought a home in Whistler in 1999, the Rohdas came to British Columbia for the first time in their lives.

“We immediately felt that Whistler was a real community.”

Adding to the appeal was the relatively low elevation and the fact that the resort was so close to Vancouver. Starting in January 2003, the Rohdas joined the legions of dedicated part-time Whistler residents — those familiar faces that show up when the snow does and temporarily disappear as the first locals’ specials start showing up around town in the spring shoulder season. But unlike many of those folks, the Rohdas and their fellow AFOW members leave behind something very important: money to benefit Whistler’s various charities.

“Through the end of this year the total amount for contribution we will have raised will be close to $350,000. Our total giving will end up being over $300,000 this year. Last year we raised about $150,000,” says Rohda.

Groups that have benefited from the generosity include the Whistler Health Care Foundation, Maurice Young Millennium Place, Get Bear Smart Society, Whistler Community Services, Whistler Fisheries Stewardship Group and the Community Foundation of Whistler. The most recent beneficiaries of the AFOW grants include Whistler Search & Rescue, the Whistler Public Library and the Squamish-Lil’wat Cultural Centre.

All of these gifts demonstrate the AFOW’s commitment to not only supporting, but honouring the community. The custom built 4x4 given to Whistler Search & Rescue will ensure that the best efforts to save lost hikers, skiers and boarders will not be compromised. The donation to the library was given in memory of AFOW co-founder Harbers, who died in a tragic plane accident in June 2006 in Big Timber, Montana. The Squamish-Lil’wat Cultural Centre, being built in a forested area between the village and the Upper Village, will help to increase visibility of the region’s original people and their cultures. With the help of First Nations consultant Nora Weber, the AFOW has aided in the creation of a pair of carved doors that will grace the centre’s entrance. The doors will incorporate both Lil’wat and Squamish Nations traditional designs and are being carved by some of the pre-eminent artists from each nation. The artists commissioned to produce the doors include Squamish Nation’s Jodie Broomfield and Johnnie Abraham, Jonathon Joe and Bruce Edmonds from the Lil’wat Nation.

All of this work has been made possible from money donated by approximately 100 people. Rohda feels the AFOW can do more — a lot more.

“We believe there are 1,100 Americans who own property in Whistler,” he said.

The AFOW is in contact with these people through its annual direct mail campaign, where they contact second homeowners at their U.S. addresses. The group explains why the AFOW is a worthwhile venture, including the information that donations to the organization are deductible on American tax returns.

Thanks to the groundwork of Levin, O’Reilly and Harbers, AFOW enjoys charitable tax status under U.S. law. Since AFOW is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization incorporated in Washington State, donations are tax-deductible to the full extent permitted by U.S. law. This status allows AFOW to receive “matching gift” donations from large companies that employ individual AFOW members. The group will work with the individual and the employer to facilitate this type of giving. Many of the members, as would be expected of resort community second homeowners, are in the position to not only give themselves, but also to persuade their employers to contribute.

 

Who are these people?

The 13-member board and advisory board of AFOW is well heeled and well educated, and predominantly composed of politically progressive members who hail from the so-called “blue states,” or traditional Democratic strongholds. The AFOW membership is notable for its vast number of retired high-level executives from brand name companies. As well, Whistler’s current and former mayors are members, and would be, regardless of their citizenship.

“The charter of the AFOW was written in a way that the Mayor of Whistler would automatically be a member of the board of directors,” says Rohda. “We’re very pleased that when Ken Melamed became mayor he said ‘Yep, I wanna be involved with this.’ He’s been a very active board member and a joy to work with.”

Other AFOW members happen to have jobs that are plain cool.

One of those people is Seattle-based oceanographer Russ McDuff. While it seems incongruous that an oceanographer would describe himself as a “mountain person” that’s exactly how McDuff sees himself — even if he didn’t start skiing until he was 40 years old.

“I started skiing when our kids did, and they were four and five. And they are much better than I am,” he laughs.

For McDuff, being part of the community means he has seen the community for what it is, a real town existing behind the façade of a perfect resort town.

“Whistler can be deceptive,” says McDuff. “On the outside it looks like the perfect resort, but it has the same issues and concerns that any place has.”

A lifelong advocate of philanthropy, McDuff feels that giving on a proportional basis is simply the right thing to do.

McDuff figures he and his family average 60 days a year in Whistler, but he has plans to change that. Hoping to retire by 2010, he plans to increase his Whistler days dramatically.

Asked if it will be a case of coming to the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and never leaving, he laughs. Asked if their second home is inspiring requests for “Olympic reservations” from friends, he laughs even more.

“We just tell them ‘No’,” he says of the ever growing requests.

While he is sure he and his wife will continue to maintain two residences, he longs to spend more time in Whistler.

“I can hardly wait,” McDuff says, sounding like a kid dreaming of Christmas morning.

Asked about the impending changes at the border that will require most people to carry passports in order to enter or return to the U.S., as well as a loonie that is more-or-less on par with the U.S. dollar, Forseth, Rohda and McDuff emphatically believe they will not have a negative impact on American part-time residents coming to Whistler.

McDuff, who resides just outside of Seattle, notes that for some infrequent visitors the prospects of long lineups at the Peace Arch crossing could be a deterrent, but says he and his wife employ a frequent crossing pass. Rohda believes that Whistler is such a unique place that even a higher dollar will not have negative effects on Americans wanting to purchase second homes.

Mary Forseth concurs and then adds, somewhat cheekily, “You do what you can to make sure you can be up here — wouldn’t you if you were living in the States?”

To learn more about AFOW visit: www.americanfriendsofwhistler.com



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