Yes, there’s a new outdoor market on the scene. Yes, Eden’s Market (and Jamie’s Corner) has food, art and clothes and toys. Yes, it also has something else that no other market in these parts has: a conscience – it wants to help youths who are in dire circumstances in their personal lives through YESS, also known as Youth Empowerment and Support Services.
It all started when a young St. Albert girl named Eden saw a TV documentary about the economic downturn in the United States and how it resulted in many families with children living out of their cars.
“She was saying how terrible that was,” said organizer Patricia, who did not want her last name used. “In Edmonton, we have it not as bad as that situation, but we still have children that are on the streets. We wanted to do something about that.”
And thus, Eden’s Market and Jamie’s Corner – named after the girl’s older brother – was born. YESS has seen its own financial struggles over the last few years and has had to lay off staff but it remains steadfast to its goal of helping as many youths as it can in as many ways as possible.
YESS provides an emergency shelter, counselling, training, legal advocacy and more. There’s the SkY (Skills for Youth) program that gives kids a place to stay and helps them along their educational and career paths so that they can be self-sufficient.
The StART (Stability, Assessment, Referral and Transition) program helps kids develop life skills on their path to independence. There’s also a program enhancement program, a kind of community outreach effort to connect the kids with a network of support outside of YESS’s doors.
Patricia added that the market is intended to help offer the organization a regular donation stream but it also works to promote other youth-related causes. She invites children’s charities to come and let the community know about them and fundraise at the same time.
The market celebrates its grand opening Sunday and Patricia is looking for much less rain and lots more people to stop by.
“We have been so lucky,” she laughed. “We have been rained out every darned Sunday we’ve been open except this past one.”
In regards to the grand opening on Sunday, she says, “We need traffic like there’s no tomorrow.”
To promote the event, an Edmonton martial arts school will be performing a traditional Chinese lion dance, the Cantalon choir will do Broadway tunes, and a bet will be settled one way or the other with CTV meteorologist Josh Classen.
He’s sure that Sunday will be 25 degrees but rainy. Patricia countered that it will be sunny and 23 degrees, to coincide with the date. If Classen wins then she will make a donation to YESS. If she wins, however, he has to eat a pie, and not just humble pie.
“A whole pie! We’re hoping that he’ll be down here by 11:30 so that we can cram the pie down his throat at noon!”
The filling of the pie, however, has yet to be decided.
Friendly wagers aside, Patricia just wants to get the word out about YESS and the need for more financial support.
“A lot of people aren’t aware of what it does. It’s a drop-in centre for homeless children. There’s no food for them budgeted because they only have enough money to run the beds. The blankets are one-centimetre thick. It’s horrible. They’re doing the best they can. The place is decent and clean. It’s full of very caring people but they’re without resources.”
She is donating the net income from the market and hopes that it will be an annual event.
To learn more about the organization, its services and its needs, call 780-468-7070 or visit www.yess.org.
To learn more about the market or to contact Patricia, call 780-993-9088 or visit ‘Eden’s Market Jamie’s Corner’ on Facebook.
Eden’s Market and Jamie’s Corner is located in the parking lot at 10534 124 St. in Edmonton. The grand opening is Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
