10/25/2022
On July 25th, 2022, an unthinkable tragedy hit our family. Kaine Marcel Carlson Kirke, otherwise known as my Scoob, passed away due to the poisoned drug epidemic that is ravaging our community. He was just shy of his 25th birthday... Just shy of receiving the care he so desperately needed.
In the months following his passing, we (as a group of family and close friends) have sought out ways that we can find purpose in this new and horrific reality. Our conclusion is this: Kaine it Forward.
It is no secret that the resources for mental health and community building among at-risk youth and young adults is strained. Isolation, misunderstanding and judgment run rampant in this rapidly evolving modern world. We see this, we know this, and we believe we can make a difference.
Kaine it Forward is a foundation developed to honor Kaine's memory in the form of summer after-school skateboarding lessons and team building exercises, with the hopes of expanding to year-round, winter sports in the future. Our mission is to create and maintain peer relationships between our Team Leads and our at-risk youth, providing a healthy outlet to learn, grow, create, laugh and support one another.
We hope to take the first steps in building a generation geared towards acting in service of each other, working to facilitate a safe environment for youth to navigate this modern world with the support and care of the generations before them.
If you would like to stay current with our mission, we have developed a website in Kaine’s memory - www.kaineitforward.com - and have just launched both an Instagram and page (linked in the bio). This Winter season we will be holding fundraisers to gather the tools we need to kick off for Spring 2023, while we also have a donation page up on the website specifically dedicated to local outreach programs.
We thank you for following along this journey with us as we contend with our new reality, doing our best to turn this living nightmare into fuel for change.
In honor and memory of our Kaine, and all others who have lost their lives to this horrific epidemic.
This new, gross reality of mine is parallel to over 10,000 more mothers in BC who have lost their children due to the poison drug supply epidemic.
