Walking for the victims

Times Reporter

 

On May 7 the five men participating in the Freedom Walk Journey for Justice will be coming through Strathmore, and stopping to speak at Holy Cross Collegiate before continuing their walk. 

The Freedom Walk is taking place as a way to give victims of crime a voice, while advocating the plight of those who have suffered from injustice. 

“We’ll touch on two things when we speak at Holy Cross. One, the anti-bullying side of things and if you are a victim in that age category, or that age group, what steps you can take to alleviate that,” said Constable Travis Juska with the Calgary Police Service (CPS). 

“Secondly will be about what resources they can access, and what’s available specifically in that current location.”

The other four men walking are, CPS Constable Dan Rossi, RCMP officer Mark MacDonnell, Master Corporal Rob Skelly with the Armed Forces and Andrew Rossi, Dan’s brother. The five men make up the five walking members of the Five with D.R.I.V.E foundation. Five with D.R.I.V.E is a volunteer based organization, which runs on the focus of making a difference in the lives of others. 

The purpose of the Freedom Walk is twofold: one is to spread awareness about being victims of crime and what support is available; and the second is to raise donations for the Canadian Crime Victim Foundation 

Along with partnering with various police service organizations in Canada, the Five with D.R.I.V.E Foundation has also partnered with the Canadian Crime Victim Foundation (CCVF). 

“The Canadian Crime Victim Foundation is a national scholarship fund where if you are a victim of crime, a sibling is a victim of crime, or if you start an anti-bullying or victims of crime initiative at your school, you’re eligible for $5,000 a year for five years, or up to a total of $25,000,” said Juska. 

“For somebody that was helped out through scholarship opportunities in my post-secondary career you really see what kind of difference that can make.”

“The reason why we chose this is because the Canadian Crime Victim Foundation is a perfect tie for us between what we have an expectation of what a police officer does when they respond to a victim, and it gives light and resources to that victim beyond what they might have an expectation of,” said Juska.

“The research that we did shows that 97 per cent of victims aren’t really sure exactly of where they can go for help, or what resources they can have, and yet we have a victims assistance unit…that do tremendous work.

“As a first line responder it’s almost an obligation of that service to be able to come up with that information, to be able to provide that to the victims to make their experience, which has been obviously traumatic and negative, into a potential positive. Whether it’s through a scholarship opportunity, whether it is through a support group or whatever we happen to give them.

“As a police officer you don’t just show up and you’re done. You might be a guidance counsellor that day, you might be social worker, you might have to play the role of psychologist or grief counsellor or whatever it happens to be. We have an expectation, or should have an expectation, as police officers to go above and beyond to be a service that require it in whatever capacity that might be.”

Members of the community are encouraged to join the men on their walk as they head east. 

Program Coordinator for Strathmore Regional Victim Services Lesley Hering said she plans to join for a little while, and is happy to see something like the Freedom Walk taking place. 

“I think it’s great, I think a lot of people are unaware of what is available to victims of crime,” said Hering.

“They don’t know, they don’t know there is financial benefits, they don’t know they can have a voice through our victim impact statement. I don’t know what they (the men) are going to be saying in their presentation but they’re just speaking about victims of crimes so it’s got to be good, it’s going to get the word out so that’s great.”

The walk starts in Stanley Park in Vancouver on April 22 and will finish 4,655 kilometres later in Queen’s Park in Toronto on June 23.

“We average just around 60 to 70 kilometres a day. So our shortest mileage day is 21 and our highest is 132 depending on the day,” said Juska. 

On May 5 the men will be making a pit stop while walking through Calgary to host a fundraiser they have planned. The silent auction and fundraiser will be at the Redwater Grille at 250 6th Ave SW.  The goal is to raise at least $500,000 for the Canadian Crime Victims Scholarship Fund and the CCVF Secondary School Scholarship. The fundraiser is just one more way the men plan to try to reach their goal. 

Anyone looking to donate items, or to donate to the cause can contact Travis Juska at TJuska@calgarypolice.ca, or go to www.freedomwalk.ca for more information.