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Residents eager to get around the block

When a nine-year-old boy was suddenly surrounded by teens and threatened with a knife close to his Turner Valley home last fall, it prompted residents to resurrect their Block Parent Program.
Michelle Schellenberg stands with son Cody, who was threatened by teenagers while walking his bike last fall. The incident prompted Black Diamond and Turner Valley residents
Michelle Schellenberg stands with son Cody, who was threatened by teenagers while walking his bike last fall. The incident prompted Black Diamond and Turner Valley residents to resurrect the local Block Parent program.

When a nine-year-old boy was suddenly surrounded by teens and threatened with a knife close to his Turner Valley home last fall, it prompted residents to resurrect their Block Parent Program.

After reading a post on a Facebook site about the incident, Gail Fagan put a call out to revive the Diamond Valley Block Parent Program.

“I don’t like the idea that little kids can’t hop, skip and jump their way to school without fear of someone coming after them and showing them a weapon,” she said. “That really bothers me.”

The Block Parent Program of Canada isn’t new to Fagan. She was involved in British Columbia, but learned the Black Diamond program fizzled years ago due to a lack of volunteers.

The program was initiated in London, Ontario in 1968 after a boy was abducted and killed on his way to school, and made its way to Alberta in 1973.

“It’s a safe haven in the event a child is frightened, hurt or lost,” said Fagan. “The kids are trained that this is a safe place to go if they feel uncomfortable or unsafe.”

Since posting the idea on Facebook, Fagan received verbal interest from about 80 people, but only four filled out the paperwork and received the distinctive red and white signs.

“I would want to see the thumbs up and likes and comments on our page to be turned into action,” she said last week.

“Facebook gives a false impression. It’s really 80 individuals sitting in their living rooms.”

Fagan said one of the challenges facing the program is most people work full-time, so no one is home during the day. As well, the regulations are stringent requiring everyone in the household age 12 and older to obtain a police record check initially and again every two years.

Fagan is confident the program can succeed.

She aims to see at least 50 signs in windows around neighbouring Oilfields High School and C. Ian McLaren School in Black Diamond and another 30 around Turner Valley School by this summer.

“We want to make sure there is enough signs out there that the kids are familiar and notice them,” she said. “The Alberta Block Parent Program likes to have three to four signs per block because you take them down when you’re out.”

Turner Valley mom Michelle Schellenberg is glad to see the program taking shape again.

It was Schellenberg’s son Cody who was walking his bike home after dark last October when he was suddenly surrounded by five teenagers on bikes.

They threw his bike on the road and tossed the youngster amongst themselves.

“One pulled a knife and said they were going to kill him,” she said, adding the flash of a nearby vehicle’s headlights sent the boys running.

“I don’t really think he was targeted,” she said. “It was one of those random boys being punks and it gets carried away.”

Schellenberg, who reported the incident to RCMP, said her son has been seeing counselors as a result of the incident.

“After it happened he was really down,” she said. “My son was terrified. He already struggles with anxiety.”

Fagan’s efforts to revive the Block Parent Program has given Cody hope that there’s a place to turn for children in frightening situations, said Schellenberg.

Schellenberg was among the first to get a Block Parent sign in her window.

“It couldn’t get here fast enough,” she said. “A little bit of inconvenience to get a criminal record check for the sake of a child is totally worth it.”

The liaison officer for the renewed Diamond Valley Block Parents is Turner Valley RCMP Cst. James Santschi, a former Block Parent.

“I had small children at the time and I wanted to provide other kids with a safe place to go if they needed help,” he said of joining the program years ago.

Santschi said he’s glad to support the initiative.

“I think it’s extremely beneficial,” he said. “I don’t think it’s to the level where anybody needs to be fearful. It’s more preventable in nature if there’s a scary dog or some older kid is bullying them or they get injured and they can’t get home.”

Fagan said she would like to see the program in full force by the summer so they can offer education in elementary schools this September.

In the meantime, volunteers will distribute information about the Diamond Valley Block Parent Program at community and school events.

“I hope that the effort to put this program together is going to pay off,” Fagan said.

“We want our kids to be able to walk to and from school safely and that just needs a little bit of help from the Block Parents. The kids deserve it.”

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