The Wraparound program is seeking $25,000 in emergency funds from The Vancouver Sun’s Adopt-A-School campaign to provide assistance to youth in crisis
At age 12, she ran away from home and headlong into a criminal record that likely awaits anyone that young seeking to survive alone on the streets of Surrey.
Why did she run away?
“My mother was a drug addict and she would abuse me.”
By the time she was 13 she was fully embedded in the criminal justice system for “multiple poor choices,” she says, that resulted in arrests, court appearances, probation orders, foster care, group homes and eventually the intervention of Surrey’s Safe Schools Wraparound team.
Twelve years later it’s all come full circle.
She sits in a cramped office in a North Surrey secondary school, the newest recruit to the Wraparound program and the first former client to be hired to help youth in as much trouble as she once was. (Since this interview she has been hired by the Fraser Health integrated youth team as an outreach worker.)
By any measure that’s a spectacular achievement all due, she says, to Sarah McKay, the former head of Safe Schools Wraparound program. She also credits a relative of one of her friends who took her in.
In recounting her story, she asked for her name to be withheld.
“Honestly, without what Sarah and the team did for me I wouldn’t be here. I’d be in jail, a drug addict or dead.”
What did they do?
“They provided everything that someone who cares for you would.”
The Wraparound program is seeking $25,000 in emergency funds from The Vancouver Sun’s Adopt-A-School campaign to provide assistance to youth in crisis, usually as the result of poverty or neglect.
Wraparound supervisor Jon Ross said they need AAS funds to assist youth outside of school.
“It could be with food or clothes,” Ross explained. “When you are not living in a stable setting you need extra help for your basic needs.
Twelve years ago the teen connected with McKay, and received food and clothing and other necessities, including a bed and bedding. McKay now works for Simon Fraser University as director of campus public safety.
That help was transformative.
She finished high school, spent two years taking a social services worker professional program at Vancouver Career College and in September was hired by Safe Schools.
The job was to help students with behaviour or emotional problems, something she will now be doing with Fraser Health.
She knows what can happen when vulnerable youth are left to sort out their own problems.
“I just want to help kids, the way I was helped. Sarah made me the person I am now,” she said while tearing up.
“Sorry, I told myself I wouldn’t get emotional.”
Getting to where she is now wasn’t easy.
When she came into contact with Safe Schools, she had trouble controlling her anger.
“I struggled with that and that made it difficult for me to communicate with the authorities or deal with people. So, they really helped me control my emotions.
“They were always with me when I went to court. There were times when I was having a bad day and they would say ‘OK, let’s go for a drive, let’s have coffee.’
“It’s the little things like this that can make such a big difference in the lives of these kids. Not just me.”
McKay remains in touch.
“I tell her she’s stuck with me for life,” said McKay.
“She was a tough kid. She was and still is, although now in the best possible way.”
Watching her transition from problem to protege was a privilege, said McKay.
“She’s going to change lives. When she was 15 or 16, she used to say she wanted to do what we did for other kids. And I’d say ‘you have to start making better choices or this won’t be an option.’
“She went through a lot of challenges and some significant losses and had to make some tough decisions — and to see all this pay off for her is just remarkable,” said McKay with a catch in her voice.
“Yeah … I’m going to get emotional.”
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