About 500 people have signed up to help out at the 2014 B.C. Winter Games in Mission next year, but another 2,000 volunteers are still needed.
The community awareness event at the Leisure Centre this past Saturday was just one of the activities put together by Games organizers to generate excitement and discussion for the February event.
“Now the big push really begins,” said Brian Antonson, 2014 BC Winter Games president, who is confident more volunteers will step forward as the date approaches and people learn more about it.
A lot of people take the information with them, then sign up online at home, according to Antonson.
“We’ll have the torch run in November (Nov. 14) and a big presence at the Candlelight Parade (Dec. 6),” Antonson added. “This year’s theme is the Winter Games.”
The snowflake is the unofficial emblem for the event and Antonson has plans to encourage school-aged children to make enough of them to “paint the town.”
This is a chance for Mission residents to show their community pride, he added.
The main special events, including the opening and closing ceremonies, will be held in Mission as well as most sporting competitions. Some events, however, will be held in other communities with larger venues, such as skiing on Hemlock Mountain, diving in Walnut Grove, and speed skating at the Olympic-size rink in Abbotsford. Biathlon will also be held in Callaghan Valley near Whistler.
To learn more about the 2014 B.C. Winter Games and to get involved, visit bcgames.org.
