Councillor Tom Thomson has donated 800 Cubby pins to the Get Bear Smart Society.
Thomson, a member of the Whistler Bear Working Group, has asked that the pins be sold for a minimum donation of $5 each, with the proceeds going to the Get Bear Smart Society.
Thomson himself paid to have the pins made. One pin was distributed free to each of the 4,437 students in the Sea to Sky corridor in January.
"Within the population of Whistler, there hasn't been a lot of forethought into a certain demographic and that is the students," said Thomson. "The purpose of this is to give something back to a group that hasn't had the opportunity to share in the Whistler pizzazz."
The Cubby pins, which depict a black bear, a red maple leaf and the word "Whistler" in blue letters, are expected to be a hot item among Olympic pin collectors.
For the Get Bear Smart Society, the pin represents all that is wild about Whistler as well as Whistlerite's willingness to step up to the plate and do their part to become bear smart.
"We couldn't be more thrilled to be able to participate in this momentous event," said Sylvia Dolson, executive director of the Get Bear Smart Society. "We are hopeful that the pin will remind the wearer to be aware of bears around their homes and while out recreating in bear country."
