By Lloyd Mackey

BEAR MOUNTAIN, at the south end of Vancouver Island,  has received a good deal of attention in recent years, as the high end residential and resort development has proceeded.

Now, people in churches on the Island will expect to hear about opportunities for faith-shaped community service, as the Ronald McDonald (RM) Family Retreat takes shape.

Ronald McDonald Houses, designed to provide accommodation for parents and other loved ones while children are receiving extended medical care, are located in several places across Canada.  A McDonald’s Family Retreat is a place where families can stay together after a child’s medical treatment, free of charge.

This is the first such facility in Canada. It was made possible when Len Barrie, president and CEO of Bear Mountain Resort, donated land valued at more than $1.3 million.

The specific purpose of RM family retreats is to help children and their families focus solely on each other and, in the words of RM promotional material, “begin to get their lives back on track after dealing with lengthy hospital stays and difficult treatments.”

Jodee Hansen, a Vancouver Island spokesman for Ronald McDonald House Charities Canada, and a liaison with Bear Mountain, noted the building of the homes related to the retreat are bankrolled by donations coming through the restaurant chain. And Barrie has committed to building the project at cost.

Where faith-motivated people come into the picture, Hansen suggests, is being aware of the project and the support that families will be able to use from volunteers, once the project is up and running.

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Unlike an RM House, a Family Retreat will require various means to support families at difficult rehabilitative and recuperative stages.

While Hansen is not specifying exactly what kinds of volunteer services faith-based people will be able to offer, she is obviously enthusiastic about the Retreat’s potential. And she is aware, as well, that faith-based people are well-experienced in the Retreat process, as part of what happens in spiritual and physical recovery and renewal.

For his part, Barrie speaks warmly of the project. He says: “This has been a two year project in the making for the investors at Bear Mountain.  

“We were able to see first hand the amazing support Ronald McDonald Charities provide to families and kids at the Vancouver Ronald McDonald House. Therefore, it is very exciting for us to create the very first [Canadian] family retreat here at Bear Mountain.”

Interestingly, fundraising for the Retreat’s clubhouse kicked off with an invaluable partnership with CTV and Canadian Idol.

Fans of Canadian Idol can go online and make donations, or bid on exclusive auction items at www.idol.ctv.ca.

Filming at Bear Mountain took place last June, with host Ben Mulroney and past Canadian Idol winner Melissa O’Neil to help launch the campaign.

February 2008