A Way Home Kamloops says well-attended campout fundraiser nets nearly $100K

Photo: A Way Home Kamloops

A record number of people took part in A Way Home Kamloops' Campout to End Youth Homelessness on Friday, Dec. 9.

A record number of participants took part in A Way Home Kamloops’ sixth annual campout fundraiser on Friday night, according to the non-profit’s executive director, raising nearly $100,000 so far with donations accepted for another month.

Tangie Genshorek said 79 people were registered for the Campout to End Youth Homelessness. About half of the registrants attended the in-person event and camped out in McDonald Park, while the other half took part virtually and camped out at home.

“The highest number of campers to date, for sure,” Genshorek said.

The fundraiser encourages participants to sleep outside for one night — in tents or under tarps and cardboard boxes — to raise money while also raising awareness of youth homelessness in the community.

This year’s Campout to End Youth Homelessness kicked off at 6 p.m. on Friday.

“It was amazing. I was down at the park, we did some presentations at the start of the evening and then everyone was out, getting their tents ready and everything,” Genshorek said.

“A lot of people didn't bring tents — they just built their shelters from cardboard and some tarps that we had.”

Genshorek said overnight temperatures dipped down to -1 C with a lot of wet snow.

“That really made for a really trying night for a lot of people. … There wasn’t too much wind, but that moisture really made it very uncomfortable. A lot of people didn't sleep much at all,” she said.

“There's definitely a real experience of having to sleep outside when you're definitely dressed in layers, but you're sleeping in a cardboard shelter that you've made yourself and the wind is blowing in, moisture seeping through. A lot of people were pretty cranky in the morning.”

Genshorek said event participants were aware they came into the experience with “a lot of privilege,” even simply beginning their night by wearing warm and dry clothing.

“People were really well aware that those were advantages that a lot of people that actually have to sleep out night after night after night don't experience,” Genshorek said.

“Of course, people are going home, to their lovely warm home. So everyone is really aware that it’s just a snippet of the experience, especially those folks camping out at home.”

Genshorek said so far, the event has raised a little more than $99,000 — which will go towards programming at Katherine’s Place, a future supportive housing project being developed in partnership with BC Housing on Tranquille Road.

According to Genshorek, people hoping to support A Way Home Kamloops can still donate to the fundraiser until Jan. 12, helping the non-profit hit its fundraising goal of $150,000.

Those hoping to receive a tax receipt for 2022 will need to make their donations by Dec. 31.

Genshorek thanked campout participants for their fundraising efforts to help youth experiencing, or at risk of homelessness.

“We're really, really grateful to all those campers, of course they do a lot of the hard work. Because it’s a peer-to-peer setting, a lot of the hard work happens with those campers reaching out to their circles of support and asking for donations,” Genshorek said.

“We've got some really amazing campaigns that happened with people spreading the word over the weeks leading up to campout and then reaching out to their people and raising all of those dollars. It's quite amazing.”