By SooToday.com Staff
SooToday.com
Tuesday, March 31, 2009

NEWS RELEASE

BLOCK PARENTS (SAULT
STE. MARIE INC.)

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Local Block Parent program to fold in May

SAULT STE. MARIE - (March 31) - The Sault Ste. Marie Block Parent Program is ready to fold its organization after more than 30 years of community involvement.

The declining number of Block Parent homes in the community and difficulty in recruiting board members has been extremely discouraging to the current board of directors.

Attempts to reverse these trends over the past five years have been unsuccessful.

Our mission today is the same as it always has been - to provide immediate assistance through a safety network and to offer supportive community educational programs.

Block Parent is a widely-recognized program of community safety through an established partnership of volunteers, police and educators.

The distinctive Block Parent logo found on window signs in residential homes has become a well-known symbol of safety and security.

It signifies a responsible, police-screened adult is available to provide assistance should an emergency arise.

Originally designed to provide assistance to children, the program now encompasses the needs of teens, adults and seniors as well.

Being a Block Parent requires that you display the window sign when you are available to assist those who find themselves in a frightening or dangerous situation and need immediate help.

Block Parent volunteers are taught that they are to keep their own home safe and do not have to let people into their homes.

They can assist the person in need from the front door and make that emergency call to the parents, police, or other agency.

The Block Parent program empowers residents to become involved in the safety of their community based on their lifestyle and strives to prevent crimes from happening so police do not have to react to possibly tragic situations.

Block Parents volunteers provide silent service as community helpers in our neighbourhoods, creating a network that provides a front-line defense to keep our communities safe.

It is not too late to save this valuable program.

If you would like to volunteer to be a Block Parent or serve on the board of directors, we need to hear from you before the end of April.

The time to get involved is now!

The annual meeting of the Sault Ste. Marie program will be held at 7 p.m. on Monday, April 27 at the United Way office, 7A Oxford Street.

If additional volunteers are not identified by the annual meeting, the Sault Ste. Marie program will be folded in May.

For more information, visit www.blockparents.ca or contact the local program at (705) 257-7039.

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