If the mountains are bringing peace to the people, the people must be taking that goodwill and paying it forward.

Since Invermere resident Jer Donald was dug out from avalanche debris at the Paradise Basin on March 6th and transported to Vancouver General Hospital, where he’s now recovering, the response from the community has been stellar.  A deluge of donations have been made to a fundraising website (www.thebigguy.myevent.com), which is aimed at helping his family cover the expenses involved in travelling and staying nearby to support him as he regains his health.

But that’s just the beginning. Donations are coming in to the Syndicate Boardshop, where Jer is one of the owners. A just-launched non-profit foundation called Courageous Hearts is planning two events on April 19th to help raise money for Jer and others.  The Mountain of Hope event at Panorama Mountain Village on March 29th is built around the concept of helping any and all who suddenly come upon difficult times,  and a fundraiser night for Jer is in the works  at another local establishment.

It’s incredible because it’s not as though people in the valley have been waiting for years for a single community cause to rally around:  we already support so many great projects.  Cheers to all of us for supporting one more.