Arrowhead 2024 Christmas Appeal
2024 has been an incredible year at Arrowhead Clubhouse! While we faced moments of sadness—including the loss of six cherished members—there were also countless tears of joy, love, and laughter. Together, we worked hard and achieved truly amazing things.
For the first time ever, we served 10,000 free meals in a single year—double what we served six years ago. We are so proud of this milestone! Food is at the heart of our Clubhouse. Our space thrives when we gather around the “big table,” breaking bread and sharing our lives. There’s usually music, plenty of laughter, sometimes a few tears—but always good food.
This year, we also deepened our connection with the shishálh Nation. We were honored to host the Red Cedar Woman Studio, where members learned the art of cedar weaving. We also welcomed Alfonso Salinas, the shishálh Nation Traditional Wellness Coordinator, and Calvin Mayes Jr., who blessed our Clubhouse space. We are deeply grateful to operate on the traditional lands of the shishálh Nation, and these moments were both moving and powerful.
With support from Vancouver Coastal Health, we launched the Food for Thought program, named by our members. This program employs members to prepare to-go meals for the Junction, a VCH space at Rockwood Lodge dedicated to recovery and wellness. For years, members have asked for a transitional employment program, and together, we made it a reality. In just six months, 25 members produced 1,500 meals, earning $8,000 in honorariums while gaining valuable skills and training. Everyone wins.
Here are a few more highlights from 2024:
52 new members joined our Clubhouse.
32 members secured housing.
21 entered rehabilitation programs.
50 members found jobs.
All of this adds up to a remarkable statistic: 95.6% of members say their quality of life has improved since joining Arrowhead, according to our annual survey. These results make our staff incredibly proud. The eight of us pour everything we have into this work, navigating moments of trauma, burnout, and grief. What keeps us going is the beauty, kindness, and perseverance we witness in our members every day.
And we couldn’t do it without you. The Sunshine Coast community is truly extraordinary. Over the past year, we received more than 1,000 donations—everything from toothpaste and tents to socks, sleeping bags, food, and first aid supplies. Many of you also donated money, keeping our doors open and the lights on.
Thank you for your time and consideration. Happy Holidays from Foye, the staff and members of Arrowhead Clubhouse.
Shop the Arrowhead Clubhouse 5th Annual Art and Bake Sale!
Join us for Arrowhead Clubhouse's Fifth Annual Christmas Art and Bake Sale on Saturday, December 14, from 11 AM to 2 PM at 5554 Inlet Avenue in Sechelt. Shop unique handmade gifts and treats while supporting this vital community program!
Purchase the Arrowhead Clubhouse 2025 Calendar! A great holiday gift idea!
For the first time, we are offering a beautiful Arrowhead Clubhouse calendar, created by our members and staff. Filled with stunning, heartfelt, and often humorous photos, it also includes information about mental health and our Clubhouse. Calendars are available for $25 at the SCCSS Thrift Store in Gibsons, SCCSS Reception in Sechelt, and at Arrowhead Clubhouse. All proceeds will support the continued operation of this special space in 2025.
Arrowhead 2024 Christmas Present Drive
Dear Fellow Members of the Sunshine Coast Community,
First, we would like to say THANK YOU to each and every one of you for the amazing support you have given Arrowhead Clubhouse over this past year. Everyday at Arrowhead we see the impacts of the mental health, poisoned drug supply and housing crisis. This year we have lost 6 members. But we are so lucky to have a community that supports us through these hard times and our Clubhouse is still filled with hope and love.
This year, we are holding our Christmas Feast with all the trimmings on the 18th of December (we are also open on Christmas Day!). We serve about 75 people and everyone gets a present. Many of our members have nowhere to go at Christmas and feel extra ostracized at Christmas. It makes all the different to be with the Arrowhead family for Christmas. With Cuddles and Hugs and Love. It really is a family - with mums and daughters, fathers and sons, husbands and wives and the best of friends. Oh, and we have a lot of dogs, a few cats and one parrot. And one snake popped in once.
Can you help us as we need some presents to give out!
Below is a list of present ideas. If you have a spare present with no home, please think of Arrowhead Clubhouse. We will happily pass it on to the member it suits.
You can drop off presents (wrapped or unwrapped), Monday to Friday (9am to 3:30pm) at the Arrowhead Clubhouse (5554 Inlet Ave, Sechelt – opposite the Post Office).
Thank you for thinking of us during the holiday season,
Love from all the Members of Arrowhead Clubhouse.
Gift suggestions:
• Soaps
• Games
• Books
• Perfume
• Mugs
• Chocolate
• Make-up
• Gloves, scarves and toques
• Arts and crafts kits
• Toys
• Flashlights
• Candles
• Dog treats
Thank You To Our Donors
We would like to send a heartfelt thank you to each and every individual who has supported and helped fund Arrowhead Clubhouse this year. Without the support of our community, we could not carry on. In 2023 The Clubhouse gratefully accepted a whopping 910 donations. Thank you.
Our Christmas Appeal
Dear Friends of Arrowhead,
Thanks to our generous community, for over 30 years, Arrowhead Clubhouse has been a place of hope. Not only a place where people living with mental illness on the Sunshine Coast can come to learn skills but also a gathering place where relationships are built in a safe, stigma-free environment. Your donations have helped to maintain this vital frontline service not only through a world pandemic that challenged each of our lives and communities, but continue to lift us as we navigate uncertain times.
In the past two years:
• Our membership has grown from 235 to 315 members.
• Our hot meals served to the community have grown from 7,000 meals to 10,000 meals!
• Over 80 employment positions have been secured by the members.
• 43 members have secured housing.
• We have helped 16 members into off coast rehabilitation facilities.
At Arrowhead, our members find encouragement, unique opportunities, and a sense of ownership and belonging. We provide services (for those who might face barriers to access) such as skills training, art, drama and music workshops, advocacy, a dentist program, internet access, free laundry, showers, and dry clothes. This coming year we continue to work towards our pre-pandemic goal of increasing service from five days a week, to also opening one day during the weekend. We know there is a need, as one member put it, “my Mental Health doesn’t get better at the weekends”.
Please consider donating to Arrowhead this season and truly make a difference in your immediate community. Your gifts to the Clubhouse are an investment in our members and your community’s success and well being. To learn more about Arrowhead Clubhouse and our amazing and vibrant members, please watch our 2-minute video at: https://arrowclub.org/
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Happy Holidays!
Foye, the Staff and Members of Arrowhead Clubhouse
Two ways to donate:
By Credit Card/Online: Arrowhead Clubhouse is overseen by Sunshine Coast Community Services (SCCSS). You can donate online at www.sccss.ca/get-involved/donate Please select “Arrowhead Clubhouse” from the options. A tax receipt will be sent to you at the end of the year.
By Cheque: Please make the cheque payable to “SCCSS” and put ‘Arrowhead Clubhouse’ in the memo section. Mail your donation to Arrowhead Clubhouse, PO BOX 676, Sechelt, BC V0N 3A0. Please provide an email and/or phone number and a tax receipt will be sent to you at the end of the year.
