As a way to reach out to the vulnerable in Prince Albert for the holidays a private security company was on the streets of the city on Saturday.
Lions Security was handing out McDonald’s and Tim Hortons gift cards on Saturday morning at the Tim Hortons in Cornerstone and the Second Avenue locations of both McDonald’s and Tim Hortons.
Lions Security President and CEO Osagie “Leo” Ekhaguere explained that as a security company, they understand that poverty can create crime, no matter how large or small.
“If you look at it very well poverty is most of the time the cause of crime, and we have come here to show our connection with this section of the Community to be able to let them know that they are loved and essentially give them a token gift just for them to see our kind of support for them,” he said.
“We told our guards in the field when you encounter homeless people, you must understand that they are undergoing very serious level of stress and you have to show empathy, you have to show compassion and as much as possible, show them where the social services are. So that’s why we are here today. We are here to show empathy just to kind of connect with them.”
He explained that they selected the cards after talking with the businesses and to show some compassion.
“We just want to come around. We don’t want to supply them with food. We don’t know the kind of food that they may like, so, we prefer to give them a card that they can use to buy whatever they like,” Ekhaguere said.
Ekhaguere explained that they want people to feel positive energy during the holiday season
“In the new year, we want them to think about how they can better live a good life and be the best version of themselves in the coming year. We just want to support them, you know, by giving them the gift card for Tim Hortons and also for McDonald’s,” he said.
“We are just here to show empathy for the vulnerable section of our community to show that we love them.”
He explained that they encounter the homeless and vulnerable population often near their office on Central Avenue and this was a way to show some empathy.
Ekhaguere explained that this was another way for Lions to show leadership for private security companies in the city.
“There is no security company that does what we are doing and we have the best strategy to ensure that people can get to the level of stability and be able to think through their situation and live their normal lives,
Another reason was that the government was only part of the solution according to Ekhaguere.
“The government alone cannot do this. We need to support the government but lead to our effort and that’s what we’re trying to do today, to give our support to our people that are going through this level of stress,” Ekhaguere said.
Ekhaguere explained that he would encourage other members of the community to show empathy and support for people as much as possible.
“It is not the handing of the gift that matters. Sometimes we can talk to them. We can listen to them. Some of them are going through situations where they feel nobody will listen to them,” Ekhaguere said.
Another way to show empathy is to listen to them and not create negative situations.
“We try to ensure that we want the members of the community to see how much they can do to be a part of what we are doing today just to show love to one another because at the end of the day, we are still the same,” he said.
