'Pay it forward' inspires flautist to help homeless man
Woman raises money on crowdfunding page to help man living at YMCA
A flautist in Symphony Nova Scotia is doing everything she can to restore some peace to the life of a homeless man in Halifax.
Patty Creighton first met Kevin Ogilvie in February when she noticed him looking upset as he was walking the streets.
"I just called out, 'what's wrong?' and he kept walking and he said 'I don't have a place to sleep tonight, I don't have any work. I'm desperate,'" said Creighton.
Ogilvie, 27, has been without a regular home for nearly 10 years, and over the winter sought shelter in the woods and under a railway bridge.
Patty Creighton gave him some some money to stay at the YMCA. Then, she started a crowdfunding page which has so far gathered about $1,400 to help.
She used the 'pay it forward' model which is inspired by the Hollywood movie that was released in 2000.
Ogilvie said he needed to change his life to be there for his daughter, who is now a year and a half old.
"When you have a child, you look at things a lot differently. You look at life a lot differently. You have someone to protect, someone to be there for," Ogilvie said.
Creighton is now working with Ogilvie to get his high school equivalency and drivers licence. He has two job interviews in the coming weeks.
The YMCA where Ogilvie has been staying closes on May 30. After that, he fears he may be out of a place to stay again.