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Vigil for the Homeless 1/14/20
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Kammara Gagne encouraged attendees of a homelessness awareness vigil to "put your hand out, let them know you're there." "Because that's what kept hope for me," she said. "People kept saying, 'Hello.' People kept saying, 'It will be OK.' You know, there's a silver lining in everything and you could be that for somebody." Gagne described herself as "a six-month survivor of homelessness" and about two weeks sober. "I found a family. I found serenity by coming over from Keene, [N.H.], where all my problems are," she said. "When people are going through hell, just the simple kindness of saying hello ... goes a long way." Tuesday night's vigil at Pliny Park in downtown Brattleboro was organized by support service providers Groundworks Collaborative and Pathways Vermont. At one point, about 50 people were counted to be in attendance. "Let the cold be a reminder of the adversity faced daily by our neighbors in need," said Karli Schrade, coordinator of the daytime shelter known as the Drop-In Center at 60 South Main St. in Brattleboro. "Often we feel bogged down by the size and scope of most present day social problems — whether it be poverty, addiction or homelessness to name a few — but tonight is an opportunity to come together to learn about the needs and concerns of those living on the streets, and to unite in a tangible way to making even the most subtle difference for our community's most vulnerable." Rev. Lise Sparrow of Guilford Community Church shared a question she pondered on the drive to the vigil. She said it motivates social service work. "How is it possible in a community we love so well, in a nation of which we can most of the time be pretty proud, that we still have people living in the streets and dying homeless?" she said. Retired music teacher Andy Davis invited attendees to join him in singing the chorus to a tune he wrote for the vigil. "Keep the kindness flowing until the coming day," they sang as Davis played a banjo
