Editor:
As many residents of New Westminster know, the athletics department of New Westminster Secondary School has been running a mushroom manure sale for over 20 years.
The funds raised help to finance various teams in the program. Initially, the athletic director - Peter Battistin – would purchase the manure from a company. The company would dump it in the school parking lot and student athletes would pitch in by shoveling the manure into 50-pound bags and then delivering these bags into the neighbouring community.
A modest sum was raised and this helped offset some of the costs of the athletic department.
About eight years ago, a former student of the high school, Jordan Beattie, approached Peter with a proposition. Jordan had recently started his own landscaping trucking company (Artisan Transport) and offered to not only donate the mushroom manure free of charge, but also deliver it to the school parking lot.
Needless to say, Peter was more than happy to accept Jordan’s generosity. The extra money raised was extremely helpful in providing much-needed funding to the athletic department.
Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The annual mushroom manure sale would have to be postponed until next year. Peter Battistin didn’t even give it a second thought. Then Jordan Beattie called. Not only would he offer to donate the manure, but he would also make arrangements to bag it and deliver it – all free of charge, with 100% of the profits going to the athletic department of the school.
A couple of years ago, I asked Jordan why he donated his time and money to the school. He responded with a shrug of the shoulders and his disarming smile, “It’s the right thing to do.” His parents, Stephen and Ingrid Beattie, (proud New Westminster residents who own and operate a wonderful nursery called It’s about Thyme), instilled this giving attitude in their sons Jordan and Kyle.
In the me-first society we live in today (especially prevalent during this pandemic), we need more humans like Jordan Beattie.
Andy Beerwald, New Westminster
