It's called "Cheryl's Bench: Empathy in Action" or just the Cheryl Folden Memorial Bench, and was spearheaded by Stuart Westie, a retired teacher who got to know Folden after speaking to her while she was living on the streets along his regular bike route. "I'm really tired of the attitude that we treat the homeless and addicted and abused people with," he said. Advertisement AdvertisementAdvertisement Advertisement"They don't understand that these people didn't choose to be who they are." We should never look at people like that 'appear' to be, but why they are like that. "It's a monument right in the middle of town that says, 'Hey, look at who we are,'" he said.

Source: CBC News December 31, 2025 14:37 UTC