The annual Campout to End Youth Homelessness in Kamloops will return to McDonald Park this December after two years of virtual events due to COVID-19.

While excited for the return of the in-person event, A Way Home Kamloops Executive Director, Tangie Genshorek, says there will also be a virtual campout for people who prefer that option.

“So people can still join from home,” Genshorek said, on NL Newsday.

“That was great to have people to come from out of town, people come with their kids, people with different abilities, they can sleep somewhere more comfortable. So we’ll do a hybrid event but we’ll be [back] at McDonald Park this year.”

This is the sixth annual fundraiser for A Way Home Kamloops which sees campers participate by sleeping outside in cardboard boxes and sleeping bags, while hearing stories from young people with lived expertise to directly learn what homelessness is like in Kamloops.

“Campout will always be a bit of a memorial for [A Way Home Kamloops founder] Katherine [McParland] and her legacy,” Genshorek added. “We will be honouring her on the night of the campout and we’ll be thinking of her as we’re getting ready for it again.”

Last year’s edition of the Campout to End Youth Homelessness was the first without Katherine McParland at the planning table. It raised over $100,000, second only to the 2020 edition – held just days after McParland’s passing – which raised a record $150,000.

Genshorek says they’re hoping to raise another $150,000 during this year’s campout, with all proceeds going towards wraparound supports at the soon-to-be-built Katherine’s Place on Tranquille Road.

“We’re always just so grateful for the community. Kamloops is incredible,” she added.

“Of course, Katherine’s legacy is a big piece and a lot of people just want to continue to support the work that she did. We’re accepting donations all the way through the event. That works out great as we head into the holiday season. A lot of people like to donate around December.”

Construction on Katherine’s Place is expected to be completed in late 2023.

For more on this year’s Campout to End Youth Homelessness, go here.