The last time we saw Joe Roberts, Executive Director of The Push for Change organization, he honoured and surprised us with a visit at our annual Christmas party during his journey across Southwestern Ontario. In total, he ended up carting 24 kilometres a day for almost 17 months — more than 9,000 kilometres, and 11,375,000 steps according to his pedometer! Roberts arrived in Vancouver, B.C. and officially ended his journey on September 29th with a Grand Finale event downtown.
Roberts, who lived on the streets of Vancouver as a teenager, embarked on this cross-country journey to raise awareness about youth homelessness. The Push for Change was a daunting project from the beginning. Walking across Canada with a shopping cart (a symbol The Push for Change used to represent homelessness) through a Canadian winter presented serious hardships – especially with the ice and snow he encountered around the Lake Superior area through February and March, but the stories of the young people he met along the way kept him motivated to keep going.
“The challenge was to have a conversation with Canadians on how we can make a shift and approach youth homelessness from a different perspective; to get in front of the issue and work upstream.” shared Roberts. “The Push for Change is incredibly grateful to have partnered with Walters Group because they understand the long term vision and the dedication needed to make it come to life. We look forward to working with Walters deeper as our foundation moves forward.”
The Push for Change raised over $540,000 in addition to the sponsorships that covered the costs of the campaign. Roberts also spoke at hundreds of schools, met with mayors, police departments and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Below show’s The Push for Change’s promotional video for the Grand Finale event. It’s a great recap of Joe Robert’s journey across Canada!
To learn more about The Push for Change organization, please visit their site www.thepushforchange.com.
