July 21, I listen to Corus radio’s Roy Green show as I usually do when travelling home from visiting my daughters in Calgary.
This day Green was talking to a man called Walter and his son Alex about bullying.
For over five years 16 year old Alex has been the subject of bullying tactics by peers. Green commented that at times it was so severe that suicide became the only way out for Alex.
This compelled Walter to leave his job to care for his son for six months. He returned to two jobs trying to catch up when one day as he was going to head out to the evening job he heard a commotion outside. In his driveway was a group of kids attacking Alex. Walter screamed at them to leave but one kept pounding away until Walter intervened and pulled him off. When the kids left Walter called the police and told them what transpired. What happened next became a nightmare for the family. The police charged Walter with assault; the case took two years during which the stress of the situation got the better of the family with Walter suffering a breakdown, his wife developing severe arthritis and depression resulting in both being off work. For two years they used savings to cover legal costs to fight the charges eventually dropped and now with no savings left and no jobs they are losing their home.
Green was adamant on his show that these “are good people that have suffered bad luck”, saying he had followed this story for two years and knew the information was legit. He emphasized this family was in this situation due to bullying something Green feels strongly about and has done several shows on.
He then went on to say that Alex had been picked by the Amanda Todd Foundation to go on a trip to Toronto with Carol Todd, mother of Amanda, the teen who committed suicide last year because of bullying and put requests out to listeners.
“Is there a resort in BC that can offer Walter and his wife some respite during the time that Alex will be in Toronto? Is there a realtor willing to sell their home for a reduced commission so that they don’t lose their home entirely?
As I listened to Green’s plea I contemplated on how bullying had unleashed a chain of events causing a normal family with jobs, home, and a loving environment now in a situation of having no income, sick and homeless. I thought how easily this could happen to anyone at any time.
The next day I emailed four Fernie accommodators with text from the Roy Green website to collaborate the request. Three replied immediately, I had to call several radio stations to get a message to Green who was elated that strangers had responded saying that a realtor had also called to help.
Walter and his wife have come and gone, they said the trip here was wonderful. They admired the scenery, Main Street, the mountains encircling our town, the Ghostrider image, the beauty and peacefulness of their surroundings. Most of all they marvelled at the generosity of Fernie and the people they encountered.
It never crossed my mind when I reached out to this couple that have now become friends that Fernie would get so much publicity for this. The Roy Green radio show is heard on the Corus network coast to coast, the US and online internationally. Last Saturday’s show that I was part of was heard by Doug Ford who called in to say that he would take the boys to Toronto City Hall and dinner with the mayor. Green says he will do a follow-up show with Walter and Alex to talk about their trip.
Walter is so positive with the generosity he has encountered from Green and others that he wants to be called by his first name as up until they have been referred on air by middle names. Dave and Brenda asked “How can we ever thank these people? (In Fernie) I replied that I would do it for them.
Mike McPhee and Island Lake Lodge, Matt Mosteller and FAR, Shelley Le Strange and The Best Western, Marnie Green and Park Place Lodge, Tarun Patel and Dairy Queen, Martin Brock and Chocolate Factory, Carosella, Sue Hutchinson-Bawden of Evolve Inc, Simon Howse and Shelley Macgregor of Spa 901, Kim Serwatkewich and Mirror Images, Sarah Parry, Judith Johannsson and Ghostrider Trading Co., Nick Giuliano, Mike Sosnowski, Gail Adams, Joe Warshawsky, Ellen McCauley, Alice Ferrarelli, and all of the staff members, Thank You all so much for your contribution towards this family. What you all did wasn’t just the material, you gave what was much more important, the thing that touches the heart and soul of a person, you gave love by your generosity and that is something that is invaluable to life.
I hope I haven’t missed anyone and know that had more Fernie people been approached there would have been more contributions as this town comes through for those in need whenever they are called on.
At the risk of sounding maudlin this town is simply remarkable with the kind of citizens that call it home. You are simply the best people, because although it is the fabulous natural surroundings that bring visitors here it is the people that make the town the fantastic place it is and a place I am so proud to call home.
