The below are remarks from Kira Cheeseborough at the Grand Opening of Katherine’s Place, the new A Way Home Kamloops building with supportive homes for youth and young adults. They are reprinted with her permission.
The building is named in honour of the late Katherine McParland, founder of A Way Home Kamloops and a huge champion for at risk youth.
Ten years ago, a youth unknowingly stood at a precipice, unable to predict what was about to happen over the next few months. They had no connections, no support, no understanding of what they were experiencing or who to reliably go to for help. This lack of connection and community led them to experiencing a pain and loneliness which marred their body and mind for years to come. They were left at what seemed like the edge of a cliff, forced to move forwards with only one option but to fall.
And so, they did. But little did they expect to be suddenly caught by a safety net. They were not at the top of the cliff where they once stood but could see it. Though it was so far and all they felt they could do for a time was lie there on the net, to consider the options and gather the strength they needed if they were to try climbing back up.
This safety net was youth housing. The foundation that was needed for stability to gather the courage and tools to take each step forward, to pull up just a little higher on the wall. And that safety net and the people who held it up, followed. The youth fell again, and again, but each time, they managed to get just a little higher and that net was always there when they looked back. Until one day they were no longer in the shadow of the mountainous cliff but felt the sun on their face as they crested over that mountain. Then what lay before them were the possibilities they had felt were lost and saw how many people had come together to help make their probability a possibility.
They eventually graduated from the AWHK housing program, went to school, got employment, and found a purpose they could share hand-in-hand with others like them. A light of hope that was once gone, ignited like a fire. This is a story many young people can listen to, see themselves in, and hope to find a similar outcome.
However, there are many whom we’ve known, loved, and lost over the years. Today marks both a celebration, but a moment of honouring and remembering those youth who too once dreamed of a better life and sense of belonging. Those who couldn’t be reached in time or their nets broke. They are just as important and loved as anyone in the collective story that’s led us here today.
When we think of the passage of time, we can easily forget all the little things or the people that make each moment special. However, there is one person whose light shone so brightly in my life, their memory could never fade: Katherine. Ten years is a long time to look back on, yet in every moment she left a mark on my life in ways I never thought possible. Whether she was there as family, a friend, a cheerleader, or a guiding example. She’s been there for us all. She taught us what found family means, what community looks like, and has helped us to become the leaders we are today. She saw the potential in every young person and knew that the circumstances were not what defined a youth’s identity or life.
She taught that there is A Way Home when we Light The Way for others, no matter how dark it may seem. And now, there is a home for youth at Katherine’s Place. I have continued hope the work that will happen here at Katherine’s Place will help the youth who are falling or about to fall. That they, too, will find community wrap around them and be given the safety they need to rest, grieve, heal, recover, and grow.
I hope today takes us one major step closer to our collective dream of ending and preventing youth homelessness. Thank you for being here with us.