One of the first things assigned to me was to focus on where I wanted to use my energy. The one thing I did want to do was develop a program that would give the kids of the community setting something to do this summer.
Summer last year started off with a murder near a very popular playground. Many of these children were isolated because of their parents' fear. I wasn't quite sure about what this was going to look like, so I discussed it with a couple of community residents.
The idea went over quite well, and one mother spent a day getting contacts for donations. It was after this that I was speaking to the Director of the community Red Cross office, who said their food bank supplied dwindled in the summer, while the numbers of people asking for help increased. It was at that time that we decided to make it a lunch and activity program.
Everyone is very excited about this, and so far, we have scheduled a Raptors Basketball Clinic and a trip to the Royal Ontario Museum. I look forward to writing about the program in the next edition of our newsletter.