Article by Guest Writer Jill Moffatt, Canadian Olympic Athlete

With the Winter Olympics taking place throughout February, I thought I would share what it’s like to be an Olympian during a pandemic, and the how important community support is. Thanks for reading along and joining me on my journey to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games!

 

Hello again!

I hope everyone had a fabulous February and avoided the snow (unless that’s your jam!). This March, Big Wheel Burger is supporting The Threshold Housing Society, which provides housing and services to youth in need. I wanted to take the opportunity to reflect on the importance of this work, and some of the organizations that I work with that focus on youth!

Here is the Threshold Housing website for more info on them, Threshold Housing Society.

Adult and Youth Homelessness

I am really excited to hear that Big Wheel Burger is supporting the Threshold Housing Society because of the amazing work that they do. For those not familiar with the Society, they work to prevent adult homelessness by providing safe housing, support services, and community to at-risk youth.

Youth homelessness refers to the situation and experience of young people between the ages of 13 and 24 who are living independently of parents and/or caregivers, but do not have the means or ability to acquire a stable, safe or consistent residence. And according to the Society, youth between the ages of 16 and 24, are the fastest growing segment of the homeless population in Canada.

The Threshold Housing Society works to fill the gaps, and provide youth with services such as education, gaining meaningful employment, and most importantly, providing safety. I was fortunate to be born into a stable household, where my parents could work and provide for us. But that is not the case for many families.

My father worked at General Motors in Oshawa, and as the plant began to decrease in size over the years, a town that was once booming, became crippled by losing a mass workforce which contributed to the local economy. Employees lost their jobs at a rapid rate, and some households lost everything. 

In ten years the city changed, and those who once would have never needed these services found themselves in unthinkable situations. My dad knew many of them, and saw the stark reality that many began to face. To no fault of their own, families and youth find themselves needing help and requiring community based organizations to get by. I really believe that communities have the moral obligation to take care of one another, and support those who are in need. No one is immune to finding themselves in a similar situation.

Working With Youth Organizations

I am part of one youth organization that I really enjoy giving back to, Fast and Female. Although it has a very different mandate than the Threshold Housing Society, I wanted to highlight the work they do and how I get involved.

I think there is an opportunity for anyone to work with or give back to youth organizations, and it’s important to find one that you believe in.

I’ve been involved with Fast and Female since 2016. This organization is a Canadian charity on a mission to keep self-identified girls aged 8-14 healthy and active in sports. Founded in 2005 by Olympic gold medalist Chandra Crawford, Fast and Female believes in the power of positive sport experiences and role models to give girls leadership, teamwork and resiliency skills. 

I’ve been able to host some online events with Fast and Female, and we had an incredible event pre-covid in Victoria with one of the grade schools. It was awesome to get a ton of young girls together and run them through different activities and programming around mindfulness, leadership and confidence. 

I really saw the impact first hand of the programming,and the feedback we got from the girls and their parents after the event reinforced the work that was being done. I hope to continue my work with Fast and Female and hopefully have another event in Victoria!

I am currently working towards running a day with Fast and Female and Rowing Canada at our new training centre in Duncan, as I would love to give those youth the opportunity to meet positive role models in their community.

 

How You Can Get Involved

There are many ways to get involved with organizations that give back to youth in the community, and most likely there is one that speaks to your interests. A great place to start is the Volunteer Victoria website, found here. You can search all of the different non-profits and find those that work with youth, or any other kind of charity that you find impactful.

If you’re too busy to volunteer, consider a modest donation to the Threshold Housing Society. On top of helping those in your community, you can get a charitable tax receipt, a win/win!

Or you can get a burger at Big Wheel, and know that $2 from every burger is going to the Threshold Housing Society! This is another fantastic way to give back.

Until next month!

 

My name is Jill Moffatt and I am an Olympic rower living in Shawnigan Lake, B.C. Big Wheel Burger is supporting me on my path to the Olympics and in exchange I’ll be sharing parts of that journey with you! Follow along each month for behind the scenes stories and other things outside of rowing that I am passionate about. This month I wanted to give an update on my 2022 season and what is coming up this year.Thanks for reading along and joining me on my journey to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games!