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SEPTEMBER 22, 2016 | Volume 29 No. 115
Youth homeless count a first
TODDLER RECOVERING AFTER BATTERY SCARE
TALLY TO BE TAKEN IN KAMLOOPS
DALE BASS STAFF REPORTER dale@kamloopsthisweek.com
Forty organizations will do something that has never before happened in Canada — figure out how many youth are homeless in Kamloops. Fronted by A Way Home — a coalition of advocates and professionals working to end youth homelessness — the count will take place between Oct. 13 and Oct. 21, when people will be out looking for those between the ages of 13 and 24. Katherine McParland, the youth homelessness manager with Interior Community Services and the person behind the creation of A Way Home, said she knows the actual number won’t be determined. “The minimum number of youth experiencing homelessness in our community will be captured,” she said. Organizations including the city’s bylaws department, the Interior Health Authority, School District 73 and other social agencies in the city will work together through various events to do the count. The Boys and Girls Club of Kamloops and White Buffalo Health Society are hosting a Crash at the Club sleepover for homeless youth on Oct. 21. Interior Community Services is offering a chili lunch on Oct. 20. The school district has an online survey for youth to fill out. Homeless youth taking part will be given backpacks filled with necessary items to help them survive cold weather. McParland is still accepting donations for the packs. Contact her by calling 250-320-7837 or emailing kmcparland@interiorcommunityservices.bc.ca.
TODAY’S WEATHER Sunny High 21 C Low 6 C
DALE BASS STAFF REPORTER dale@kamloopsthisweek.com
W
One-year-old Griffin plays with mom Brittany Levitt. The boy is on the mend after suffering internal injuries when he swallowed a battery. DAVE EAGLES/KTW
hen the battery died in her beagle’s static collar, Brittany Levitt took it out, put it into the pocket of her jean shorts and didn’t think about it again.
Days later when her one-year-old son started fussing — and progressively appearing to be in more pain — she thought about the button-shaped battery again. Griffin had been with her as she sorted laundry that day and the shorts were in the pile. He had swallowed the battery. At first, she thought Griffin was just tired, but when his fussing turned into obvious discomfort, it clicked for Brittany, likely because she had previously read an article
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about a boy who did the same thing. The battery damaged the child’s esophagus, trachea and larynx. The realization set Brittany, husband Kevin and Griffin on a medical journey that continues. First was a call to the doctor, who sent her to the Aberdeen X-Ray Clinic. The technician could see the battery in Griffin’s esophagus, but told Brittany not to worry as the batteries are well-coated and would likely pass through his system. See MOM, A6
BLAZERS PREVIEW
TRU adds to its growing campus
The fifth and final part of KTW’s series on the club
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