Lost In The Country ...

When I made my application to Block Parent Program to be a safe place for people to turn when assistance is required, I never imagined that I would need to avail myself of that help.

In the summer of 2009 my son was invited to attend a birthday party which was being held in a rural setting just outside Cochrane proper. Being a "town girl", I never had much occasion to travel the concession roads which encircle our town. I am used to street signs, house numbers and stop signs, not open highway with forest or farm land stretching between homes which sometimes sport nicknames on their mailbox posts.

The driving instructions included with the invitation simply stated, "Turn left on 2, we’re over the hill and past the tracks, if you’ve reached the church you’ve gone too far."

I must say, it’s a pretty little church! I found "2" and travelled left and when I didn’t find the house I tried going right from the main road as far as I dared. I turned around and tried again, and again for over half an hour. Thankfully my then 5 year old fell asleep in the back seat and missed out on verbal grumbling. Not only was I lost and beginning to panic, but my frustration was growing to the point that I was prepared for the fallout should my son miss the party.

Suddenly, I saw a flash of light in a door window. When I slowed to take a closer look I was very relieved to see that beacon of hope known as the Block Parent sign. I may not have been able to find the "block", but I was certainly relieved to find the "parent".

When I described the instructions I was given, my knight in parent armour was able to easily translate them so that even I could find my way.

I am happy to report that we found the party and, thanks to his impromptu nap, my son was well rested and ready to play.

Thank you Block Parents, for your urban AND rural heroes.

Sincerely,
Mary-Ann Parsley

A safe route to school ...

During the new Block Parent sign distribution, a Thamesville Block Parent, who is also a Chatham-Kent Police Officer, shared her story of feeling safe as she was growing up. As a child, she memorized the location of each Block Parent home on her route to school, saying that it was always comforting to know there was a safe place to go if the need arose. She knew, as a youngster, that she would become a Block Parent to offer that same sense of security in her neighbourhood.

Not in my neighbourhood ...

At a recent meeting of the board of the Chatham-Kent Block Parent^® Program Inc., the topic of “Why I Became a Block Parent” was discussed. Roy and Hetty - Block Parents, board members and great volunteers - offered their story. About five years ago, their paper boy was being followed by a man in a car while delivering newspapers. The boy chose to hide in a backyard until the man left as he didn’t know what else to do. When Hetty heard of this unsettling event, her response was “That’s not going to happen in my neighbourhood!” and she and her husband Roy decided to become Block Parents.

From a London Block Parent^® ...

There were a couple of times over the years that we were able to be of help to children. Once, while we were living in south London where our home backed onto the ponds area, teenagers who were visiting residents in the area, were sleigh riding on the hills behind our residence and became confused about where they were. Upon seeing our displayed Block Parent sign they came to our door. We were able to contact the people they were visiting, who came and picked them up.

Another instance occurred in our present east end condo complex when a young girl, about six years old, was observed playing on the snow banks while a backhoe was busy moving snow. A neighbour became concerned and brought her to our unit where our Block Parent sign was displayed. She couldn't give us a name or where she was from. When we called 911 we were told that a girl had been reported missing in our area. Two police cars arrived shortly and the child was soon reunited with her family.

Audrey.