Approximately 90 kilometers, a 5-day long trek up a mountain and a lifetime of memories; that is just the quick summary of the incredible journey that Wainwright Real Estate Agent, Ken Hrubeniuk, went on last November. A journey that not everyone has the opportunity or the ability to do in their lifetime, but Ken has already stated that he would “go back in a minute” if given the opportunity.
Why would anyone want to even put themselves through something like this in the first place? 15-20kms a day, including a 1000 metre elevation gain in just 8 kms on day 2 alone. What drives a person to train for 10 months, travel alone to Ecuador and join a group of 120 strangers to climb a mountain?
Domestic Violence.
The “Royal Lepage Shelter Foundation”, founded in 1998, has raised to date $41 million for over 200 women’s shelters and national partners. Their agents donate a portion of their commissions along with participating in local fundraising events, with every dollar raised going “directly to helping the more than 50,000 women and children who are served each year by the shelters and support programs they fund”. This includes last November’s “Ecuador Challenge for Shelter”, where employees of Royal Lepage across the country could apply to be a part of a fundraising challenge that took them to great new heights.
The “Royal Lepage Shelter Foundation” already plays a huge part in Ken’s workplace culture and each event that Royal Lepage organizes has a shelter-fundraising element to it. So, when the chance to participate in this major fundraiser came up, Ken was intrigued to be a part of it. As well, domestic violence incidents in Wainwright through the past few years added to his decision, in hopes of bringing more awareness to the issue and providing information on where community members could go to find help and safety.
“The purpose of these treks is to put us out of our comfort zone, in a way, but nothing in comparable to someone going through domestic violence, I found from the start of my training and having this cause at the forefront of my mind was much like when you buy a new blue car, you don’t realize how many actual blue cars out there and now you see every one. That’s what I saw with domestic violence news stories started to popping up everywhere, of course none of them good news stories. And you also learn that there are so many more that aren’t reported and so many suffering in silence that don’t say a word. Keep an eye out for your friends, family and neighbors and watch for the signs if they need help. We don’t know what is going on behind closed doors until usually it is too late”
Ken described the experience of climbing Mount Pasochoa, which stands at 14,000 feet, as a combination of anxiety, lack of sleep and high altitudes, with emotion added in. During the trek, each day after lunch they would read a letter from a survivor of domestic violence. On day one, the person chosen to read the letter was someone who had arrived in Ecuador around the same time Ken did, so they had a few days to get to know each other. The letter at some points was quite graphic, and concluded with the reader telling the group, “This is my story”. Silence and tears fell amongst the group, followed by hugs of support. The silence continued, except for the words, “this is why we trek”.
As stated earlier, day 2 was quite difficult physically, with the goal of summiting the mountain. With a storm moving on, the group pushed on with the reminder of why they were there and who they were there to help, which motivated them to hit the summit. The letter from day 2 was written from the view of a child watching her mom go through domestic violence. The reader also finished the letter by stating, “this is my story”, making the story hit closer and closer to home.
Exhaustion, altitude sickness, sinus infections, inability to eat and more all took its toll on Ken and other participants. Through each other’s support (emotionally, mentally and physically) they were able to cross the finish line together on day 5. Cheers, hugs and congratulations rang out in a moment none of them will ever forget. The 30 people in Ken’s group have become very close from sharing this experience and still communicate weekly in their group chat. And it’s no doubt that a shared experience of climbing a mountain with no cell service, no bathroom facilities, no electricity, but with a common goal of combating domestic violence, will bring people together.
With the help of community donations and the Royal Lepage Shelter Foundation, Ken raised $10335.50 for the Lloydminster Interval Home Society. This generous gift goes directly to the LIHS emergency shelter and programming. Thank you so much Ken for everything you have done and being a champion in raising awareness for domestic violence.
You can find more information on Ken’s journey on his Facebook page: “2000000 Steps for Shelter”
Royal LePage Shelter Foundation | Royal LePage
