To get prepared for this celebration we sent out emails informing people of the event about a month and a half prior to the date. Closer to, we delivered reminder flyers. We asked for RSVP’s and we received many responses from neighbours excited about the celebration! The day before we had a major wind storm so we were a little concerned about the weather on the December 15th. Well someone was looking after us and we had cool clear skies for the day! We did not even need to set up the canopies because it was so nice. Two portable heaters were great to warm up with as cool temperatures prevailed. The next day it poured rain, so we had good timing between two terrible winter weather days.
We set up on my driveway and carport with hot and cool drinks, many baked goods, and treats for the kids.
Sunday, Dec 15th we had a day for all the members of the Truro Drive Block Watch. We called it “Tis the Season to be Jolly” on Truro Drive. We had over 60 people come and chat with experienced neighbours and with some new members to the group. I believe this was the fifth meeting for the group, so it was great to see everyone catch up with others about their lives and stories about the past and future. Holiday music, with warm and cold beverages, sweet snacks, made the day a great one! People brought donations to the Food Bank, so we were able to take two big boxes to the Richmond Food Bank the next day. The Food Bank appreciated all the donations! It was a great way to help those who are less fortunate than us.
The goal of this event was to get all the neighbours to get to know each other better and talk to their neighbours! We met this goal with flying colours! A couple of new families commented that where they moved from did not have anything like this. It was a nice surprise for them! They knew they picked the right neighbourhood! Kids played soccer and basketball on the street, rode their bikes and connected with other kids on the street. I know with these events, neighbours have made some connections about what they do for a living and they have helped each other to fix or repair things in each others’ homes. Another way to help each other.
We updated our contact information so we now have everyone’s latest information. As people left, we were able to give them a small gift to take home thanks to the NSG grant.
Now as neighbours see each other, I see them waving at each other and being more friendly towards each other. Making those connections is so important to creating a fun and safe neighbourhood. We thank the Neighbourhood small grants program for the donation of $500 to purchase food for the event. In future years, we would like to do the same thing possibly inviting some guest speakers to talk to us about creating an even safer environment on our community of Truro Drive.
