From the mean streets

When I heard about Karri Hour and all the great stories that have come out so far, I knew that this idea was truly indicative of who Karri was. I have been away from Guelph for about six years but I will never forget the times I had with Karri and the type of person he was. I live in Vancouver, and as you may be aware, there is a pretty devastating problem with drugs and the homeless on Main st and Hastings. My story begins here.

I was coming home from work, doing my usual stroll down Main st. to Hastings at 3 am to catch a bus home. This may not seem like a very good idea to most people, but generally the people are not dangerous. When I got to the bus stop there was a man sitting there, in a worn track suit, and terribly conditioned shoes. I sat next to him, and he asked me for food, and a little company. I gave him a granola bar and ginger ale that I had. He was a drug addict and had been since he was 12 ( he is 34 now). He was telling me about how he lived on the streets for 20 years, and that this was his home. He had just spent four months in rehab, and had been clean for the duration. I have talked to many addicts on this street, and for the most part they have no hope and just want money. I saw something different in this man, he wanted help. He was upset that the drug dealers in his “home” were making fun of him and putting him down when he said no to them.

This seemed a little strange to me, he was more upset about his dealers opinion of him, than he was about anything else that was going on. He had just been put back on the street with no food, no money, and only the clothes on his back. Naturally, he headed back to Main where he was certainly doomed to use again. He showed me one of his track marks, on his right arm which ran from his shoulder down to his wrist. I knew that he needed my help, or at least some advice. In my mind, I knew that this was my Karri moment, because I know that Karri would help anyone he could despite their status. I asked him where he was from and how he got in this situation.

As if the world wasn’t small enough, this man, Rob, had been put in the Homewood in Guelph when he was twelve, and escaped at 16. He was hooked on crack and heroine at that young age. He had an internal battle with himself, he knew that he shouldn’t do the drugs, and that they would eventually kill him. But, he needed a little push in the right direction. I gave him the change that I had, but more importantly, I took him away from Main, and to the only open McDonalds nearby. I got him a meal and gave him the only advice that I knew.
Stay away from Main. Go live your life for yourself, and do not worry what anyone else thinks. When I left Rob, I thought for sure that I would see him again, in a bad state, back to his old ways.

Yesterday, I saw Rob again. He had different clothes, and he looked better, less miserable and he had found a shelter. He said that my words, and my help allowed him to think about life in a different way. I feel as though, Karri helped me with that situation. Had I not been thinking of the Karri Hour campaign, I might not have done what needed to be done. The connection to Guelph, assured me that this was supposed to happen. I am proud to be Karri’s friend, and I know that we can show the world, that there is good, and that we can make a change, one hour at a time.

Good luck to everyone.

Bryan Scott