On The Whitby Beat Const. Peter Bramma Yes there are safe strangers. Even though we teach our children never to talk to strangers, there are exceptions to the rule. Probably the most ob- vious safe stranger is the uniformed police officer who patrols your community. Your child should be taught to depend on the officer if he or she needs help. Another safe stranger is the Block Parent, and I would like to tell you about this fine organization. Across Canada the Block Parent program has proven to be very effective in reducing molestations, rapes and illegal entries. It also gives assistance in a "help away from home" manner when needed. But who are these Block Parents? What are they like? A Block Parent is any responsible adult who cares enough about the well-being of the children and other persons to volunteer their home as a safe refuge when a need arises. A Block Parent has no legal status except as a private citizen who volun- teers to act responsibly in a emergency situation. To ensure the home is a safe one, all adults in the home have to be screend by the police before they can obtain a Block Parent sign. In fact the sign is the property of the Block Parent organization and can be recalled at any time if the status of the home changes. Block Parent homes are re-assessed every so often by the organization to make sure the home is still a safe place. The Block Parent sign is displayed usually in the front window of the home where it can be easily viewed from the street. Parents, teachers and police officers teach our children how to recognize the sign and when to use it. They are taught to use the home only in the case of an emergency (i.e. if they are lost, frightened, bullied or followed by a stranger or a stray animal). If they need help because of illness or injuries. a Block Parent will of- fer assistance to persons in distress by phoning the necessary emergency number or the home of the child. A Block Parent does not: provide food or drink, provide toilet facilities, transport anybody, administer first-aid, open the door to just anyone (they are advised to talk through a locked screen door and then phone for help). By the way, a Block Parent does not have to be home and available 24 hours a day. When unavailable for any reason (ie. sleeping, ill, out, busy, etc.) the sign is simply removed eom the window. Absence of the sign does not mean the house is unattended. Some Block Parents work all day, but by putting sign up for a few hours each week they can be of value to the community. A person might ask: how often is a Block Parent used? That no one calls upon our Block Parents is the greatest complaint. Yet lack of incidents demonstrates the success of the program! By deterring the trouble makers in our neigh- bourhood the Block Parent makes it a safer place to live. We are also advertising that our children are being protected by a community that cares! I'm a Block Parent. Maybe you would like to be one. If you are interested call Heather Bray at 655- 3334. Note: Please do your part by explaining the program to your children and elderly parents (you don't have to be a child to use a Block Parent home). Instruct your children to know their name, address and phone number and where possible to carry identification. Let them know they may hold their Block Parents in high regard. Assure them that Block Parent homes are an emergency "home away from home". CLIP&ESAVE HUGE SELECTION g for photos, paintings, I HE prints, needlework! I FRMIG 668-4521 2 FOT f- WITRv WHITBY FREE PRESS. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 1986 PAGE 23 Rotarians collect toys for Brazilian children By MARION IRWIN The Rotary Club of Whitby in conjunction with the Rotary Club of Vaughan is initiating a large project called Operation Santa '86. The project was originated by the Rotary Club of Vaughan as a result of a world community service project undertaken by the club to provide a mobile medical-dental clinic for the huge slums in Sao Paulo, Brazil. There are literally, in these Brazilian favelas (slums), hundreds of thousands of children whose whole life, and future, is a struggle to live - let alone experien- ce the simplest luxuries which we in Canada take for granted. Operation Santa '86 then, is designed to give emotional fulfillment to a young person, as op- posed to ministering only to his or her physical well-being. How will this be done? By providing a good used or new toy for these children for Christmas 1986. Whitby children are being approached through a number of schools in town. They are being asked to pick from their toys one that they would like to give to a Brazilian child and to take it to the drop box in their school. As well drop boxes will be available in some local businesses. In the schools the children will be giveh a Christmas enclosure card on which they can print their name, age and school. This card will then ac- company a toy when it is iistributed by Sao Paulo Rotarians to the îlum children next hristmas. Any toy will do except lhose which involve English or stuffed toys over 18 inches tall due to limited space aboard Varig Airlines which has volunteerd to fly them to Sao Paulo. Bat- tery operated toys are also acceptable and Eveready Brazil has of- fered to provide free batteries for these types of toys on an ongoing basis. The theme of this project is "Canada Cares" and posters for the project feature a Canadian child handing a toy to a Brazilian child with thie slogan "A gift from a Canadian child to a Brazilian child". At Christmas, what better way of showing "Goodwill to all mankind" than showing it to a little child living in worse conditions than many household pets enjoy in Canada? "Man does not live by bread alone" - nor does a child. Maybe a toy will not heal undernourished bodies, nor fill their stomachs, but it will fill the children's hearts with joy and they will know that there is love even in their im- poverished world. The Rotary Club of Vaughan has appealed for help with this project to ail the clubs in the Toronto area. Whitby club has responded to their appeal and is now asking the citizens of the town to respond too. The attractive quality of the project is that it is relatively cost-free as most of our children can part easily with one of their toys. The toys will be ship- ped to Brazil in June so that Rotarians there can begin the wrapping of them. In December a group of Vaughan Rotarians will travel to Sao Paulo to help with the distribution. At that time, too, a secondary student from the high school providing the most toys per capita and chosen by the teachers and students' council of the school will accom- pany the Vaughan group as an ambassador from Canadian children. This trip is being donated by the Vaughan Club and all the high schools who participate are eligible. For the elementary schools participating and collecting the most toys per capita an award of $800 will be made for use by the school for equipment, school trips, etc. Operation Santa '86 is looking for 50,000 toys in all. The Whitby Rotary Club would like to provide, with the help of the town's citizens, 10,000. Ask your child if his/her school is par- ticipating or look for drop boxes around town. The Hideaway Bingo Hall already has a box overflowing with toys as the patrons of the hall have enthusiastically responded to Rotarian Dave Wood's appeal. Other Rotarians as well will have drop boxes la their businesses. NEW & USED OFFICE FURNITURE -BUY- RENT-SELL-LEASE- ic son Printinge & Office Supplies -M..J 1 H D AE T. E' PO EN8 Monday, March 3,1986, 7:45 p.m. Committee Room 1, Whitby Municipal Building Whitby, Ontarlo A Public Meeting will be held by the Operations Committee of the Corporation of the Town of Whitby regarding the unimproved road allowance between Lots 32 and 33, Concession 8, Town of Whitby as shown below. V NqYRTLE RD. W. 35 34 33 32 0MPROVED | AL OWANCE CON. vm|| BRAwLEY RD. W. The purpose of the meeting is to review and receive public comment with respect to possible methrds of undertaking and financing im- provements to the road allowance which have been requested by certain persons owning proper- ties adjoining the road allowance. Further information may be obtained by calling or visiting the Public Works Department, 575 Rossland Road East, Whitby. Donald G. McKay, Clerk The Corporation of the Town of Whitby 575 Rossland Road East Whitby, Ontario Phone: (416) 668-5803