A makeshift memorial at the site where Eli Beauregard was stabbed.

(ROB MUNRO / iNFOnews.ca)

KELOWNA - It’s been a week since Kelowna teen Elijah Beauregard was fatally stabbed in the downtown BMO parking lot.

No charges have been laid and the public is no closer to knowing why the 16-year-old was brutally attacked. His dad Robyn, however, has been getting a better understanding of the life his son lived every day since.  

“I went to the Boys and Girls Club, where he was staying, and I was greeted by the workers there who were very upset, and grief-stricken over the situation,” he said. “They loved him very much and were integral to helping him every day.”

When he was walking around, he spoke with teens who knew his son and some, he believes, will learn from Eli’s experience and make better decisions for themselves.

“Two close friends of Eli’s, who were hanging out with him on a daily basis, I think their lives will be changed for the better from this,” said Robyn.

“I can see that Eli’s situation really affected their lives and only time will tell, but I’m hopeful.”

Vigils are being held for Eli Beauregard on July 6 in Penticton and July 7 in Kelowna.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/Robyn Beauregard

He’s also spoken to harm reduction workers who knew his son as a happy, drug-free kid and other members of the street entrenched population, who may not have known Eli but knew his lifestyle.

“For me, it’s the best way to heal, to get on the streets and make a difference or hear what people have to say and go places my son went,” he said.

“Going places I know he was with his friends, it was a neat feeling that came over me.”

More opportunities for healing are being presented this weekend.

Robyn’s organized a Penticton candlelight vigil for Eli at the skatepark at 9 p.m. Saturday, July 6. A memorial has already been set up in the back left corner of the skatepark, where he used to hang out and people have been dropping off things and lighting candles.

On Sunday in Kelowna at 9 p.m., there will be a candlelight vigil at the Sails downtown.

“We just want everyone to gather together and if they want to say something about him, and share a memory about him, we will try to have a PA set up so they can do that,” he said.

He also asked that if people in Penticton want to give, that they donate to the Foundry in Eli’s name. In Kelowna, donations would be appreciated for the Boys and Girls Club, where Eli stayed.

He also has Calgary connections, and in that case, he asks that anyone who wants to give put their dollars to Inn From The Cold, where he and Eli stayed together for a month when once evicted from their home.

Eli was stabbed on June 30.  Police said they identified and released a suspect in the case, which is still under investigation, and that suspect and the victim knew each other.

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