In Fort St. John, the entire community is rallying to put on the BC Winter Games in February 2020. Leading the march forward are the Friends of the Games, a community-led committee responsible for local fundraising and sponsorship.

The Friends of the Games directorate was first established in the spring of 2019. In the summer, they started reaching out to the Fort St. John community for support. Soon, both cash donations and in-kind donations started pouring in with 95% of all donations contributed from local businesses. These games are breaking records for sponsorship levels. It seems that everyone in and around Fort St. John is lending a hand to help support the games.

Local businesses and individuals have stepped up to make this upcoming event unforgettable for everyone involved and leave a legacy for the community. Schools are being made more accessible for wheel-chair athletes, with companies donating labour to help build ramps. Others are helping to plan logistics, such as traffic flow during the games. Shuttles and cars have been donated to help transport athletes between events. These are just a few of the donations that the Friends of the Games received.

As the countdown to the games draws closer, there are a few items that are still needed to make the games great. Most of these are in the food directorate, such as upgrades to the kitchens that will be used to prepare food for all the athletes. Food donations and volunteers for to help with preparations are also needed.

“The games allow us to showcase what a generous and supportive community we live in,” says Kendra Delichte, Director, Friends of the Games. “Everyone is working together, and it allows us to show what makes the north great. It’s the community.”

Athletes, coaches and visitors traveling to Fort St. John for the games in February will soon realize this “energetic city” is a thriving community. It’s a place you want to be a part of and a place you want to call home. That feeling of community belonging and coming together to support each other is what the north is all about.