Since she was a small child, Evangeline has been moved to help others.
If she noticed a person in need outside of a grocery store, 3-year-old Evangeline would urge her mother to buy food to give them when they exited. The family took up the practice of keeping socks and granola bars in their car to share with anyone who could use them.
Fast forward a decade and Evangeline is now a 13-year-old on a mission to build a movement out of her work to raise funds and awareness for youth experiencing homelessness in her community.
This past Thanksgiving weekend - for the fourth year in a row - Evangeline walked more than 100 km from her grandparents’ home outside of Hamilton to her home in Toronto to help raise funds for Covenant House.
And for the first time this year, others were invited to walk alongside her and carry out their own fundraising efforts. This has helped expand what’s now known as ‘Evangeline Walks’ into a fundraising effort others can join on their own terms to support Covenant House youth.
Inspired by her Grade 5 teacher, Evangeline was inspired to walk hundreds of kilometers for a cause. Her parents suggested a list of charities and Covenant House was on it.
“I chose Covenant House because I thought ‘What if this was me, what would I want? I would want someone to do a 100km walk so I could get back on my feet.’”
Last year, Evangeline walked through illness, a sprained ankle and inclement weather but never considered giving up. Since beginning her annual fundraisers, Evangeline has toured through Covenant House, met some youth and seen the services provided to help them on their journeys away from homelessness.
“It was so great to see the kitchen in the Rights of Passage transitional housing program where youth can make their own meals,” she said. “I also appreciated how there were foosball tables and places youth can just hang out and be kids – that’s so important.”
Evangeline’s dream is to expand Evangeline Walks into an opportunity where communities all show up for a common cause – to support young people experiencing homelessness so they can have a chance at a brighter future ahead.
“The whole reason I did this was to try to do something to help,” she said. “I hope that I can inspire others to do so as well.”