The annual upper Norwood area block party started in 2012 after a fire destroyed a neighbour’s house. We realized that many of us had not even met each other until the night of the fire and how little we interacted during our busy everyday lives. A neighbour applied for a Neighbourhood Small Grant and organized the first block party that very same year.
This is truly a neighbourhood event. We take turns hosting it and invite all the households from about seven surrounding blocks. It’s a great chance to catch up with the neighbours we don’t see very often and, especially, to welcome new neighbours. This year approximately 70 people attended. There were grandparents, teenagers, young kids, people who have lived in the neighbourhood for decades and some who had just moved in, including a family that had recently immigrated to Canada.
Two of the neighbours volunteer with North Shore Emergency Management, so this year they set up a table full of handouts and pamphlets on disaster preparedness that residents could take home.
The Neighbourhood Small Grant allows us to provide all the basics for a barbecue. Our neighbourhood is full of wonderful, diverse, interesting people. Having this party each year reminds us of this and allows us to reconnect. As one neighbour said, “We enjoyed meeting new neighbours and our friends we don’t see often enough.” Thank you so much for your support!
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