'She loved so generously': Family remember Lauren Jarvis with walk to raise money for people impacted by homicide
Dozens of people gathered Sunday morning to remember a young woman who was killed in Edmonton last month.
Friends, family and supporters met at the bottom of Walterdale Hill for a walk honouring Lauren Jarvis and to raise money for the Victims of Homicide Support Society.
"This walk is to celebrate Lauren. She loved so generously and so honestly, so we just wanted to do the same for her even if she's not here," said Jayden Kallis, one of Lauren's best friends.
"We want to honour and remember Lauren for the woman that she was and the positivity and love that she spread," said another friend, Casandra Wildermuth. "We don't want her to be just a statistic and we want to keep her name in everyone's mouth."
Lauren, 27, was killed in Edmonton on April 2. The man charged with her murder was staying in the building where Lauren lived, but police say the two were not well acquainted.
The sudden, violent loss was shocking to the people around her.
"Think of your heart being ripped out of your chest," Wildermuth said. "It's difficult.
"We love her, we miss her, things are never going to be the same."
While many of the people walking wore shirts showing a picture of Lauren, others who didn't know her were out to support the family and raise money for the Victims of Homicide Support Society.
"They support those that cope with the loss of a loved one in such a tragic way," Wildermuth said, adding Lauren's family and friends have benefitted from the support offered by the organization.
"We want to raise funds and make it known for other people who have had to deal with homicides," she added.
"If you have no relation to Lauren and you want to just support victims or people that died by homicide, then feel free to join," said Lauren's brother Spencer. "You don't have to know any of us, it's for everyone."
Darlene Sim, of the Victims of Homicide Support Society was there to show her support and collect donations. She didn't know Lauren, but said it's life-shattering any time someone is murdered.
"Every homicide, it devastates a small community," Sim added. "It's not just the immediate family, it's people's coworkers, it's all of their friends.
"It probably impacts 50 or more people every time we lose one."
Wildermuth said it was a bit overwhelming to see so many people there, but she knows Lauren would have appreciated it and the family are planning to make the walk an annual event.
"It's very touching that everyone is here to support us, and I feel a lot of love," Wildermuth said. "There will be a lot of laughter and tears."
"[Lauren] would feel overwhelmed for sure, but she would feel happy that people are here for her," Megan added.
Anyone wanting to donate to the society can also do so through a GoFundMe set up in Lauren's name.
Ryan Farrell, 32, is facing one charge of second-degree murder.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Miriam Valdes-Carletti
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.