Dear Editor,
Feb. 15 marks the first anniversary of the passing of Teesha Sharma, the recipient of Maple Ridge’s 2018 inaugural Citizen of the Year Under 40 award. This award acknowledged the work Teesha did with at-risk youth.
At the time of her death, she had 18 youth-at-risk in her charge.
Immediately following Teesha’s death, letters flooded social media demanding that her legacy be honoured.
Honouring this legacy implies re-establishing a youth safe house, much like the one that supported Teesha as a teenager, Iron Horse. Iron Horse provided support for over 1,200 at-risk teenagers. In December 2014, to the dismay of many, Iron Horse was closed.
The intent of this letter is to reach out to government at all levels, to the school district, to the churches, and to all of us.
Let us come together as a community and be as brave and committed as was Teesha Sharma.
Dale Hardy
Maple Ridge