On a rainy Saturday afternoon in downtown Williams Lake, a crowd gathered on the lawn in front of city hall to honour a woman many of them didn't know while she was alive.
While they may not have known her, many were there on May 31 to honour the person Cheryl Folden was and the tragic life which saw her die far too young, after years of trauma eventually followed by addiction and homelessness.
Even the sister of Cheryl Folden spoke of being "robbed" of the chance to know her own sister, because of the abuse the two suffered as children.
Carmen Proctor was Cheryl Folden's sister, but unlike Folden, who ended up addicted to hard drugs and living on the streets of Williams Lake, Proctor got out. Folden died in January of 2024 as a result of years of drug use, but Proctor had managed to distance herself from the cycle of continuous hardship which her sister faced, though Proctor said she too still faces ongoing challenges.
"It has been hard as hell," she said, as she continues to struggle with processing not only the childhood trauma but now also the death of her sister and, a short time after, their mother.
Proctor said she cut herself off from her family in order to protect her own children and "break the cycle of abuse" she and her siblings were subjected to.
But she returned to Williams Lake to celebrate the installation of a memorial bench in her sister's honour in Herb Gardner Park.
Thanks to the bench and the growing awareness around her sister's struggles, Proctor is now sharing her own grief around the loss of both her sister and the relationship she wished she could have had with her.
Speaking at the event, Proctor gave a call to action to the assembled crowd to help the younger generation and to become more trauma-informed.
"We need to stop hurting kids," she said.
Proctor said people in the community knew she and her siblings were being abused, and while their abuser was banned from being around other children and many public locations where children were, no one protected her and her siblings.
While the perpetrator of the abuse only served four years in prison, Proctor said the rest of the family served a lifetime of "pain and disconnection."
"I was robbed of knowing my family," she said, acknowledging the guilt she herself feels for turning her back on them in order to save herself and her children.
The event also saw Proctor reunite with her nephew, niece and her brother's ex partner, all of whom she hadn't been in contact with for years prior to Folden's death.
There were many tears and hugs throughout the event, which was led by Stuart Westie, who was the man behind the memorial bench to honour Cheryl Folden.
Folden lived with Westie for eight months before she died as a result of her ongoing drug use. Westie had befriended Folden after he met her while she was panhandling in downtown Williams Lake.
Westie got choked up as he spoke, sharing some of his journey of creating the memorial to honour not only his friend, but all those struggling on the streets with homelessness and addiction.
It was Folden who inspired the memorial, but it was her passion for advocating for others which helped spur Westie to create the lasting memorial as a tribute to all those in the community facing similar challenges.
Some local politicians were also on hand, with Cariboo Chilcotin MLA Lorne Doerkson, Acting Mayor/Coun. Sheila Boehm and Coun. Joan Flaspohler all taking a moment to speak. Coun. Angie Delainey was also at the event, a longtime friend of Proctor.
Lake City Secondary School students were there to document it, filming the event and conducting interviews with some attendees to share with the CBC.
Westie hopes Folden's story can continue to inspire people to empathize with those who are addicted or homeless and recognize each one is a person who deserves care and support.
"If you start to talk to these people they've all got stories. They're not on the street, they're not addicted, for no reason, you know, things have happened to them and that's where they've ended up," said Westie.
The bench includes writings by Cheryl Folden, quotes from people who knew her, the obituary written by Westie and information on the service agencies helping the homeless and addicted, with QR codes to donate in support of their efforts.
"Right now I think we are the only city in B.C. that has a monument to the homeless, and it's about time they all got one," said Westie.
