"I was born and raised in the south-east end of Vancouver. My father worked for the Vancouver Sun on the machines and he’d bring great big rolls of paper home for me and my brother to draw on.”

I did not have a happy childhood. I had a lot of abuse growing up. My mother subjected me to a lot of sexual abuse, which my father did not know about. I feared that if he knew the extent of what was going on, we’d be split up as a family and I’d never see my father again.”

So I kept it to myself and suffered throughout school—acting out, angry. I was apprehended from home when I was 11 by Children’s Aid and after that there was a round of foster homes and group homes.”

In spite of all of it I did get a college education and I intend to go back later on. I am right now going to school, taking math upgrading and doing very well.”

My husband is temporarily unemployed. I am on disability and realized that if we were going to have a good Christmas that I’d have to get some extra money somehow. I was mulling around feeling depressed and came upon Megaphone. I’m really enjoying it and I enjoy the people I work with.”

It’s given me more of a sense of self-esteem, I feel like I’m being productive and that I’m a contributing member of a society, rather than taking.  Previous to this, I was panhandling, distributing resumes here and there, not getting anywhere, getting no responses.”

Now, since I’ve started selling Megaphone, I’m feeling much better about myself. I’ve always maintained that I want to be a giver, rather than a taker, and this is my chance.”

I plan to write about my own experience with police harassment in an upcoming issue of the magazine.”

Lillian Fletcher sells Megaphone at the corner of Broadway and Macdonald.