Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1978-05-17, Page 45Chairman of Black Parent Advisory Comm. Margaret McGee to speak at public meeting The Lucknow Block Parent program needs people who are interested in being a Block Parent. The program, being organized by the Lucknow District Kinettes, will be launched at a public meeting in the Town Hall next Tuesday evening at 8.00 p.m. Margaret McGee, chairman, of the Ontario Block Parent Advis- ory Committee will be the guest speaker. Anyone interested in partici- pating as a Block Parent or anyone who would like more information about the program is welcome to attend. The Lucknow Kinettes are concerned that the children of our community have somehwere to go if they are in trouble while playing in the neighbourhood or when walking home from school. The Block Parent program provides a community with an organized method of protecting its children. • The progtam is operated by displaying the,;l3lock Parent sign in the front window where it is clearly visible from .the street. The sign is an indication to children who pass by that the house is the home of a Block Parent and they will receive immediate help at this home for any emergency. It is also an indication to criminals or trouble-makersthat children in this community have been tought... how .to deal with strangers and that the citizens are alert to the protection of the children. � In April, the Kinettes sent 150 "Dear Parent" letters home with the cilildiren at Lucknow Central Public asking parents to indicate' their interest in the establishment of such a program. They deter- mined a significent amount of interest and decided to sponsor the program. "Children should have some- where to go in trouble," says Jane" Cauchie, a member of the Block Parent°committee formed to initiate the program. "In a small community everyone thinks they know everybody else and no one is bad, a but, there have been reports of child molesting in Kincardine and that's close enough." Jane has lived in Lucknow since last August but she says she still does not know everybody bin the community and she would like to know that her children have ,,somewhere to go if they are in trouble. Her children only -.know their classmates and they would come home before they would go anywhere else. She would like to know that if they are across the village in a "strange neighbour - $10 A Year In Advance $14 To U.S.A. and Foreign hood they could go to the home of a Block Parent if they needed help. Protection against child moles- ters is not the only reason for the program, says Barb Helm, pres- ident of the Kinettes. It is very easy for a child to become lost in a bad winter storm. The home of a Block Parent could provide warmth and a telephone to call home. "Many mothers in the com- munity work," says Barb, "and they cannot be at the school to pick up their child when it is storming. The child has to walk to a babysitter's." Children should use the Block Parent home when they are alarmed b_y_.strangers or a vicious animal, when he/she or a playmate is involved in an accident, when ill, lost or being bullied. The Block Parent is not expected to provide food or beverage; toilet facilities, provide transportation, administer first aid, leave his or her home to , break up fights or actively engage any dangerous person. Many people feel that if they become a Block Parent they will have children at their door constantly, but, this is not so, says Jane. Children are instruct- ed by their teachers and their parents to respect the Block Parent sign and only use the program in real need. Any responsible adult who cares about children, has been screened by the police and is available during the peak school traffic hours, can be a Block Parent. "Senior Citizens make excellent Block Parents," says Jane, "They are at home much of the day, they like to be involved with children, and there are 'so CONTINUED ON PAGE 8 WEDNESDAY, MAY 2x4,1978 Single Copy 25c 28 PAGES James Kirkpatrick of Beaufort, Victoria, Australia is on a Junior Farmer exchange trip to Canada.. He has been touring south'westert Ontario since April and has been staying with Murray Irvin, R. R. 7 Lucknow, his host in Huron County. James belongs to the Beaufort Club of the Victorian Young Farmers and is shown with Susan Irvin, a member of the West Huron Junior Farmers and Murray's sister. James and his father, Jim, farm 2,100 acres and run 7,500 sheep. They also have 60 head of Hereford cattle and grow about 100 acres of oats. Australian farmer finds Canadian farmers ll or ctu :fames.; KirkpatrickP of :13eagfort. in Victoria, Australia, finds the influence of the weather on Canadian farming to be the most striking difference between farm- ing in Canada and Australia. Canadian farmers work "flat. out" for six months of the year because the winter months do not permit the raising of crops says Jim, who is in Canada on an exchange between the Canadian Junior Farmers and the Austral- ian Young Farmers. He has also observed that the cost of getting started in the industry are about the same in the two countries but, in Australia, it is more difficult to get the financing. In Canada, farm credit loans will allow a potential farmer to borrow up to $100,000. In Australia, a farmer could only get about $20,000 and that would be from a bank and a credit company. Jim noticed the large amount of CONTINUED ON PAGE 9 Summer playground planned for mornings Lucknow Recreation Commit- tee is planning a summer playground program for the mornings of July and August. The program which will consist of arts, crafts and games will be held from 9 a.m. to 12 noon and will start the first week of July. .The playground will be held in conjunction with the swimming classes and children who are not taking swimming lessons may still attend the., playground ses- sions. The swimming pool staff has been hired and registration. notices appear elsewhere in this paper. A softball program for all boys up to 16 years of age is almost complete and boys will be notified of practice dates through the schools. .The committee hopes someone will volunteer to coach a girls' team. Ladies and men's softball teams, not in the recreation program, are ready to go for the upcoming season. A work bee to spread the top soil over the outfield and for putting up fence will . be held when weather permits. Anyone CONTINUED ON PAGE 8 Market vendors should show interest Applications for vendors who wish to participate in the Lucknow Farmers' Market are available at Cowan's Grocery Store and from committee members, Tony Mc- Qail, 528-6542 and JoAnn Todd, 528-6690. Vendors . need not make a committntent to sell every Satur- day during the Market, says McQuail, but, it is important that the committee have an indication of the number of vendors who plan to participate "to organize a good effective market so people will not be disappointed". The advertisements placed in the Sentinel indicated there ' was significant interest to plan a Market, said McQuail, and it would be too bad if the idea went down because people did not indicate their interest.