When a Thornhill boy disappeared from a youth home early last month, little did his family know how quickly their community would come together to help look for him and safely bring him back.
At the time of the incident, Jonah Bender, 15, was last seen in the Morningside Avenue and Lawrence Avenue area on Feb. 6. Fearing for his safety due to the impending snowstorm on Feb. 8, his stepmother posted a public appeal on Facebook with his description and last known whereabouts.
One appeal, posted on Corktown.ca, warned that Bender was considered a suicide risk.
At first, the family hesitated to post a public appeal but realized they needed the help.
And it paid off.
Within 72 hours, Bender’s photo — an image of a brown-haired, hazel-eyed boy wearing a red varsity jacket — would be shared on Facebook, tweeted and reposted hundreds of times by members of Thornhill’s community and beyond.
Steven Mann, Bender’s uncle, recalled three harrowing days of worrying, frustration and tears.
He said that trying to find a boy in a city the size of Toronto was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
However, not all the tears he shed were those of sadness.
Mann said he was overwhelmed at times because his phone did not stop vibrating as complete strangers sent him and his family leads on Bender’s possible location, not to mention an outpouring of support for what the family was going through.
“All the reposting, all the messages that we received were so comforting, and it made us feel like everyone was looking,” said Mann.
“It was unbelievable. It was Thornhill, it was the Junction, it was Toronto. And everybody was willing to go out and look.”
One message indicated a boy matching Bender’s description was spotted in the Junction area, and he may have been going door-to-door, shovelling driveways for money.
A few Facebook messages later, Mann connected with someone who drove around the neighbourhood trying to spot Bender.
Another instance that had a particular impact on the family was when the president of a prominent Canadian company sent them his support.
Moments like this continued throughout the ordeal and kept the family hopeful, said Mann, until the morning of the day that Bender would later reappear at his mother’s house in Thornhill.
Reunited, the family is jubilant and keen to address the issues that led to Bender’s disappearance.
Fittingly, Mann said, he posted a thank-you note on Facebook on behalf of his sister and her family to everyone that helped in the search. Mann said he now has a personal reason to share similar notices regarding missing kids that he said are all too common on social media websites these days.
After all, as he now knows, sometimes all it takes is just one click of the mouse to help a complete stranger out.