Mary Louie recalls leaving residential school; Lower Similkameen band holds Orange Shirt Day walk a day early

# What happened

Mary Louie, who attended a residential school as a young girl, told a local Global News reporter she wanted only one thing while at the school: to get home. She did not understand everything that was happening around her, but she noticed changes in friends and became increasingly uneasy. Late one night she escaped. She stayed off the road, moved through the mountains, crossed the highway after dark and walked back to her community.

# The community event

On Sept. 29 the Lower Similkameen Indian Band (LSIB) held a Truth and Reconciliation walk on band land near Keremeos, close to the community of Cawston. The LSIB holds its walk on the day before the federal National Day for Truth and Reconciliation so people in the community can mark the day in the way they choose.

# Louie's account in her own terms

# Why the band marks the day early

Sept. 29 to allow community members to observe Truth and Reconciliation Day in a way that suits local needs and schedules. That choice gives survivors and families space to gather on their own land, and it centers the community's priorities over a fixed national calendar. The walk is framed as a time for remembrance, healing and personal reflection rather than as a public ceremony tied to a single national date.

# What the story shows

This report presents two linked threads: an individual survivor's memory and a community's decision about how to observe a national day. Louie's escape is a concrete, personal story that highlights why many survivors and families mark September with quiet acts of remembrance. The LSIB walk reflects one community's approach to commemoration: a locally organized event held when it best serves participants.

# Reporting details

The coverage was reported by Cohan Sassaman for Global News. Photographs accompany the piece, including images of Louie and of the walk on LSIB land.

# Takeaway for readers

If you want to understand why communities sometimes mark Orange Shirt Day or Truth and Reconciliation Day on dates other than the national observance, this story offers a simple explanation: communities choose timing that best supports survivors, family needs and local practices. Louie's account provides a reminder of the lived experiences behind those choices.