We don’t want to divulge our secret recipe for crafting the magic of Silver Star, but we’ll give you one hint: great people play a huge role. Attend any event in our magical village and you’ll see a small army of folks wearing event shirts and huge smiles happily helping out. These are the passionate volunteers who contribute their time and energy to causes they care about—the people who are the heartbeat of our community.
Over the years, dedicated locals have come together in many ways: helping at community events in the village and on-mountain (like our beer and wine festivals), hosting mountain clean-ups, and running fundraisers for our local ski and board programs, fire department, and Ski Patrol, to name a few
Long-time Silver Star resident and super volunteer, Patti Wild, says it’s all about connecting people with unique talents to the needs of the community.
“I think I can speak for all the people up here, and our team of volunteers, in saying that it’s just the satisfaction we get from giving something back to the community,” says Patti.
Patti moved to Silver Star 18 years ago, after retiring from her career in the ski industry, and says she never looked back:
“My earliest memory of where it all started is being out here on a ski vacation and, after a sleigh ride one night—big huge flakes suspended in the air—I turned to the group and asked: ‘Can you imagine living here full-time?’”
Her dream of living at Silver Star soon became reality, and, while skiing everyday fulfilled her retirement fantasy, she felt compelled to find ways to contribute to the community she now calls home. Today, Patti collaborates on numerous fundraisers, volunteers at events, and supports the Silver Star Mountain Museum, a satellite of the Vernon Museum.
The Silver Star Museum is a self-guided walking tour with interpretive displays dotted throughout the village at key locations, such as The Pinnacles Suites (the original Day Lodge for the mountain) and the quaint Chilcoot Lodge and Vance Creek Conference Centre. The museum also runs guided walking tours of the mountain during the summer months. Lead by Norm and Nancy Crerar (previous owners of Silver Star in the 80s and 90s), these tours take guests on a nostalgic journey that explores interesting people and stories from the mountain resort.
For Patti, who admits she’s not one to seek out the spotlight, volunteering is a great way to connect with others and to bring people together. She speaks of the many unsung volunteer heroes in the community—folks who embrace the community spirit and pour their hearts into passion projects, just like she does.
“Boy, I say ‘we’ because it’s a team effort,” says Patti. “Everything we do up here is a team effort and if you put the right people together, magic happens.”
Photo Credits: Brian Goldstone, Vollies Peter Downward
