On Sunday evening, a Memorial Walk was held in Stratford to honour the memory of Kassidy Ballantyne-Holmes.
Ballantyne-Holmes died at Stratford General Hospital after suffering a gunshot wound at an Ontario Street residence on the morning of Oct. 15.
Cassidy was 35-years-old.
A 41-year-old male is charged with second degree murder.
MyStratfordNow spoke with Natasha McCormick, long-time close friend of Ballantyne-Holmes, who explained that the memorial walk was “insanely hard but insanely healing.”
“So I’m very grateful for Kassidy, for you know, just being the person that she was and that attracted all these beautiful people. Just to have her essence and her beauty and her memory truly honoured for who she really was,” said McCormick.
She hopes the community can come together and turn hurt into activism.
“There’s no need for this to happen. No matter what the scenario, this really didn’t need to happen. I really feel like if there was more awareness of how much of a problem this is, even in our community,” expressed McCormick.
McCormick encourages those impacted by the tragedy to honour the memory of Kassidy Ballantyne-Holmes by donating their time, money and resources to organizations in the community that aid in responding to violence against women.
The following is a list of some of the resources available in the community:
Optimism Place – This is Perth County’s only women’s shelter.
270 Freeland Drive, Stratford
(519) 271-5550
Family Services Perth-Huron – You can donate directly to therapy programs for women who have experienced violence.
142 Waterloo St. S, Stratford
(519) 273-1020
Emily Murphy Centre – This is a second stage housing facility for women and children.
67 Barron St, Stratford
(519) 273-7350
The Local Community Food Centre – This is a community food centre.
612 Erie Street, Stratford
(519) 508-3663
