Ralphie was a rotten kid, no two ways about it.

He wasn鈥檛 the biggest kid in our class, but having failed grades at least three times that we knew of, he was probably three years older than any of the rest of us.

He knew how to fight, and he didn鈥檛 mind proving it. Perhaps a month into the new school year, he was suspended鈥� the first time. He鈥檇 be back a week or two, and get the boot again. After a few times, he was expelled, gone forever. What a relief!

Ralphie wasn鈥檛 his real name 鈥� I can鈥檛 remember what it was.

I remember he was a terrible bully. Or was he?

Was he really the bully?

We kids all knew his dad regularly beat him up. Black eye, swollen lip, bruised cheek bones 鈥� we鈥檙e not talking about spankings. Daddy used his fists.

This was elementary school.

We all knew that half the time he slept in a shed out back of his house. The other half of the time鈥�? Sometimes he spent the night in the woods behind the school.

If the teachers didn鈥檛 know, well鈥� I can鈥檛 imagine they didn鈥檛.

Nobody offered him friendship. Nobody gave him a break.

I guess, technically, Ralphie wasn鈥檛 homeless. Yet. There was sort of a home鈥� in Grade 4.

There are as many reasons for homeless kids as there are homeless kids. Ralphie鈥檚 isn鈥檛 the only story. Some may be less tragic, some worse.

Joe Roberts was a homeless kid. He found a way out, made a success of himself, and now he鈥檚 pushing a shopping cart across Canada. He鈥檒l be pushing it through 91原创 on Sept. 27, just a couple of days from his destination in Vancouver.

His 鈥淧ush for Change鈥� is about helping kids like Ralphie 鈥� kids like he was 鈥� find a way out.

91原创 Central Rotary Club is hosting one of hundreds of events that have helped Joe鈥檚 cause across Canada. For a donation, you can Walk With Joe from 91原创 City Hall to 91原创 Secondary School at noon next Wednesday.

You can read more about Joe鈥檚 campaign to help homeless youth at www.thepushforchange.com, and you can get directly involved in the Walk With Joe by pledging a donation at https://chimp.net/groups/rotary-club-of-langley-central/.

Do it for one of the Ralphies you wish you鈥檇 given a chance years ago.