For 40 years, the Chatham-Kent Block Parent program has been offering a safe haven for children in the neighbourhoods of our community.
To celebrate that accomplishment and to thank the volunteers who open their homes, the organization is hosting a 40th Anniversary Celebration at Kingston Park on June 23 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. in Pavilion One.
Block Parent Program Manager Murry Haggerty said the celebration is a free family event that will include face painting, Kona Ice and cake, as well as a Chatham Kent Police Service bike rodeo from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. and the Play Rangers from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Chatham-Kent fire personnel will also be at the event. Awards and the annual general meeting will start at 3:30 p.m.
“It’s an afternoon to celebrate our Block Parents, some who have been with us since the start, for 40 years,” Haggerty said. “It’s a chance to acknowledge all the work they do and how important they are to the program. We’re going to hand out some certificates and awards there as well.”
Haggerty said staff from the Chatham-Kent Public Health Unit will be on hand to give tips on sun safety and they will have some giveaways as well.
“It’s just going to be really nice free event, and all the communities of Chatham-Kent are invited because we have Block Parents in each of the communities. It’s a great way for them to see what we do as a program and find out some more information if they are looking for it,” Haggerty noted.
Becoming a Block Parent involves getting a police check and being willing to put the sign in your window when you are available so children know your home is a safe haven if they need assistance. Haggerty said all Block Parents are pre-screened because it’s very important to know they are safe and their home is safe for a child to use if they need it.
Forms are filled out to find out some information, including who is in the home, and anyone in the home over the age of 12 must have a police check done. Police checks can be done online.
Haggerty said once the police check comes back, references are called and she goes out to meet the parents and make sure the home is viable as a Block Parent home.
“We explain to them what it means to be Block Parents. You’re not there to provide snacks or toilet use, you’re just there to provide a child a safe place to go to in times of distress,” she explained. “We talk to them about what they would do is someone uses the Block Parent service; you would call the parents or call the police depending on the situation.”
Parents only put the Block Parent sign out when they are home and available to help. She said the time given is entirely up to the program participants.
Currently, Haggerty said they have Block Parents in all the communities in Chatham-Kent except Pain Court and they are hoping their booth at the Plowing Match in Pain Court this September will help them find some willing volunteers.
Block Parent has education and outreach programs in the schools from JK to Grade 8 and special events in the community to spread the word on what the program offers.
“We talk to them about what to do in different situations. For example, if they feel like they’re being followed, we let them know what to do to keep them safe – yell and tell, make a lot of noise, go to a Block Parent home. One of the key things we talk about is when you are out and about, look for the Block Parent home signs so you know their locations, play in groups and always make sure an adult knows where you are,” Haggerty said. “Not scare them, but prepare them.”
The program isn’t just for youth in distress either. Haggerty said the program is evolving to include adults as well, such as the elderly who might be out walking and get confused or have a fall. They give away a safety whistle that can be blown to attract attention.
“The Block Parent program is trying to evolve to meet the needs of the times,” she added.
Anyone interested in more information on the program can call the United Way offices for Block Parent at 519-354-0430 ext. 267 or check out the website at ckbpp@ciaccess.com.
