Former client shares gratitude and hope at annual Breakfast for YOU in London, Ont. – London
It was an emotional and uplifting morning inside RBC Place Friday as hundreds of folks gathered to raise money for a London, Ont., non-profit that helps youth dealing with homelessness, mental health, physical challenges and other issues.
Friday marked the 17th annual Breakfast for YOU, the signature fundraiser for Youth Opportunities Unlimited (YOU). It was also the first time attendees were able to gather for the event in person since 2019 after the pandemic forced subsequent events to be held virtually.
Last year’s event raised more than $100,000 for YOU, organizers said.
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Cheyenne Vanderwoude served as the event’s feature speaker. She’s a former client of YOU who now volunteers with the non-profit in hopes of helping other youth going through a journey similar to hers.
In her remarks, Vanderwoude reflected on the trauma of her childhood and adolescence.
Physiological effects of childhood trauma
Originally from Florida, Vanderwoude recalled from a young age seeing her mother go through multiple abusive relationships. Vanderwoude also contended with a number of events that left her with fears of abandonment.
She moved to Canada when she was nine and at 13, was the victim of a violent sexual assault. She says she points to that incident as the primary influence on her mental health in the years that followed.
Afterward, Vanderwoude says she started to self-harm and experience “severe outbursts” before being placed in a behavioural class. She remembers being labelled as a “bad kid” and a “troublemaker,” despite just being a teenager who was angry and confused.
Vanderwoude spoke about a time during the class when she wrote what was intended to be her final letter before rushing out to a nearby highway to throw herself into oncoming traffic. Before she could do so, a worker in the class tackled her to the ground and Vanderwoude says this was the first time she felt unconditional love.
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Vanderwoude was eventually diagnosed with bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder and began seeking treatment before her family decided to move to London following another traumatic incident.
At 16, Vanderwoude ran away from home and lived on the streets in the city before finding a safe space in YOU. As she warmed up to the non-profit organization, Vanderwoude not only received a place to stay, but also skills, training and support to help her take charge of her life.
A series of ups and downs followed, but Vanderwoude was eventually able to seek further help, pursue a passion in photography, find the love of her life and create a family, all while YOU staff served as her “personal cheerleaders.”
She now runs a successful photography business called Cheyenne’s Creations and is currently enrolled at Humber College where she’s pursuing her real estate licence.
Empowering women to be a ‘SheFighter’
Vanderwoude says she likes to view her life in chapters, referring to her current one as the “360 Chapter.”
“This is the chapter in my life where I’m able to actually speak upon (my journey), I can live through it again multiple times, but know that it’s going to actually give other people the insight that’s needed from the community,” Vanderwoude told Global News.
Looking back, Vanderwoude says the best thing about YOU is that it gives people what they need, without them having to ask. She recalls an appointment with a staff member who gave her a strip of bus tickets after learning she relied on public transit, a crucial gift given Vanderwoude’s financial situation at the time.
“As a youth, I remember we didn’t want to upset or make people feel like we were taking advantage of the system,” Vanderwoude said.
“Unfortunately, the system’s a little bit broken and the organization helps fill those gaps where it was broken. That’s why I just kept going back every time and the door was always open from YOU.”
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Looking ahead, Vanderwoude has high hopes for YOU, which continues to grow since its launch as a small team in 1982.
One of the biggest projects on the horizon is the highly-anticipated Joan’s Place, which is named after Joan Smith, a former city councillor, MPP and the province’s first female solicitor general, who YOU describes as a “trailblazer for women and a tireless champion of the underdog.”
A rendering of the upcoming Joan’s Place facility at Richmond and York streets.
supplied by Youth Opportunities Unlimited
The 55,000-square-foot facility at the corner of Richmond and York streets will have 39 affordable housing units and a youth wellness hub that will offer services and programs in-house for young people, including mental health, addictions, employment and training.
Construction began last year and there’s hope that it will be complete in mid- to late-2024.
“It’s looking bright,” Vanderwoude says for the future of YOU’s youth.
“If it took me 15 years to get to where I am today, it might take only five years for these youth now because of the program that we’re creating and because of the fundraising that we’re having,” Vanderwoude added.
“It’s going to be fast-tracking these kids and they need that.”
— with files from Global’s Matthew Trevithick
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