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Editorial: To the youth of Squamish

'Many searchers who likely had nothing else in common, walked shoulder to shoulder, diligently checking in bushes and down roads for the young man, who some had never met.'
group squamish
Locals await instruction before the search on Friday, Sept. 24.

Dear youth of Squamish,

Did you see the 800 locals who turned out to search for Richie Stelmack and the thousands of others who were diligently and repeatedly checking their yards?  

Did you notice the collaboration between police officers, search and rescue volunteers, paramedics and firefighters?

Did you see the fear and the worry and the absolute devastating grief when Richie didn’t come home safe?

And have you seen the community come together and grieve for the other precious young people we have lost this summer and the many who rallied to support the heartbroken families?

We know that at times, from where you sit, it may seem like the adults in Squamish are constantly at odds. There’s so much arguing over COVID-19 and everything that has come with it and a strong divide between old and new Squamish residents and a myriad of other things that cause tension and that can get ugly at times, especially online.

People are cranky and stressed, to be blunt.

We know you have seen that, and it has likely impacted your own sense of well-being.

But the absolute truth about Squamish is that when push comes to shove, we are all here for you.

We want the best for you.

We want you to be OK.

Our hearts break when you are not.

Many searchers who likely had nothing else in common,  walked shoulder to shoulder, diligently checking in bushes and down roads for the young man, who some had never met.

Whatever you are going through, whatever may seem impossible to you right now, know that this town has your back.

Even if it feels like we don’t sometimes, we truly do.

No matter what.

If you are struggling — and everyone does at some point in their lives — there are resources available.

For the Kids Help Phone, call 1-800-668-6868 or Text 686868;

Online go to  crisiscentre.bc.ca; www.seatoskysafetynet.com; or, www.kidsgrief.ca. The school district also has a list of resources.

Hopefully, as adults, we can continue to foster the collective spirit that brought us all together in hope and later in grief this past week so that it is on display even more often in the coming weeks and months as we support the grieving family and hug you all a little closer.

When you grow up, we hope you remember the sense of community that exists here and either take it with you wherever you go or use it to make Squamish even better and more caring.

That is all we really want from you.

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