For Joe Roberts, pushing his shopping cart across Canada is the ultimate in paying it forward.

On Day 199 of his cross-country trek to raise awareness of youth homelessness, 49-year-old Roberts stood on the steps of city hall over the noon hour and talked about legacy.

“I’ve reached a point in my life where I wanted to pay it forward,” advised Roberts who, in his earlier years, was anything but a role model: homeless, addicted to drugs and living under a bridge in Vancouver.

“Seems like when we get to our late 40s we start asking questions about legacy and I wanted to do something with the story to point to what we needed to help prevent other young people from experiencing some of this. It’s not everyone who is fortunate to have a mom like mine.” Continue reading →