POINTE-CLAIRE – Residents of Pointe-Claire were invited to the Cedar Park Chalet Saturday to mingle with their neighbours while the children enjoyed face painting and bouncy castles.
While family fun was on the schedule, Saturday’s event was more about promoting family and neighbourhood safety and developing a sense of community.
That’s because Pointe-Claire’s Block Parent organization was hosting an open house in the park to let people know about the program.
Block Parent is a volunteer-based, child safety and crime-prevention program operating across the country.
It’s been in Quebec for 40 years but the Pointe-Claire branch was revived a little over a year ago with 30 households initially signing up.
So Saturday’s event was also about celebrating the group’s first year anniversary.
READ MORE: Block Parent program launches in the West Island
Tara Stainforth, the president of the Pointe-Claire committee, explained how participants in the program place signs on their homes indicating that their house is a police-screened safe home for those in need, be they young or old.
“It’s a fairly iconic sign of a child holding a parent’s hand.” Stainforth said. “What that means is when you see a sign like that in a person’s window they are available to help you out if you are in distress.”
Organizers are hoping more people join the group, not only because there is safety in numbers but it makes for a tighter-knit community, where neighbours watch out for one another.
“Community involvement means a safer community and a happier community,” Staineforth said. “We really believe it takes a village to raise children and support families.”
Currently Pointe-Claire is the only West Island community with a Block Parent program but Saintforth said that maybe after today’s events others will be interested in starting their own committees.
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