Staff, volunteers, and participants of The Lighthouse spent some time this afternoon cleaning up Queen Street.
Linda Goodall, the executive director of The Lighthouse, says it’s the first time the organization has done a community cleanup.
“I was driving down the street one day on my way to The Lighthouse and saw a lot of garbage,” she explained. “I thought you know what, we should work together as a community to be good neighbours.”
Goodall says when the snow melts, it’s easy to see litter throughout Orillia streets.
“We want to do what we can to change that,” she said. “We hope people drive by, notice, and then decide to clean up around their neighbourhood as well.”
Goodall hopes the clean-up will become an annual event that will grow into a community-wide event.
Nina Young, a former participant of The Lighthouse, says taking part in the clean-up on Wednesday afternoon allows her to give back to the shelter. Over a year ago, Young found herself homeless after suffering a stroke.
“Coming from the hospital I couldn’t go back to my home because I was in a wheelchair and couldn’t get up the steps on my own,” she explained. “It was very hard, but The Lighthouse took me in and helped me build up my self-esteem.”
Young, 41, says her time at The Lighthouse restored her faith in humanity.
“Each day here I got stronger with the support of the staff and volunteers here,” she said. “I ended up being able to find a place of my own and a week later decided to start volunteering here.”
Sophie La Hay, a Patrick Fogarty Catholic Secondary School (PF) student, helped organize the clean-up as part of her co-op placement at The Lighthouse.
“I have a passion for the environment,” says the Grade 12 student who is a part of the eco-club at PF.
La Hay, 18, wants people to have a good perception of The Lighthouse when they drive by.
“I don’t want people to think that people at The Lighthouse are making a mess ... that’s why it’s important to come and clean up the area.”
La Hay says doing her co-op placement at The Lighthouse has made her realize that youth homelessness is a major issue in the community.
“Working in the youth wing I’ve got to know some of the youth participants,” she said. “It’s really important to me that people my age have somewhere they can call home during the time when they are most vulnerable and trying to figure out who they are.”
