Community Living Fort Frances and District and the Fort Frances Lakers are joining forces for a weekend event.
They are hosting a family-free event on Sunday at the East End Hall.
Community Living’s manager, Robyn Melville, says it was an idea that came from a fellow staff member.
“Our passport coordinator, Nicole Pine, was realizing that one of the barriers that the people we support often face is a lack of opportunity for social connections. She wanted to create an event that would provide a fun, safe, community-wide event where people we support can make social connections and meet people they may otherwise not have had the opportunity to interact with,” says Melville.
“It’s really important for the people we support to be visible as participants in our community. So, we thought, what a better event than to invite people to come and celebrate family day weekend and adding the Lakers is just a natural draw for the young and older people of our community.”
There will be skating on the outdoor rink, weather permitting, with players from the Lakers helping out.
Inside the hall, there will be various activities, including poster-making to use at the Lakers’ game at the Memorial Sports Centre on Monday afternoon.
There will be a chance to meet the players, get autographs and have your picture taken.
Anyone who makes a $2 donation or brings a non-perishable food item will receive a hotdog and chips.
All the food collected will be handed to the the Salvation Army for its food bank.
“And most of all, prizes! We have a ton of excellent prizes that people are eligible to win just by showing,” says Melville.
Other event supporters include the Canadian Mental Health Association, Fort Frances branch, Rainy Lake Sports, M.L. Judson Trucking and The Modern Root Cellar.
The event, no matter the weather, goes from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sunday at the East End Hall on Fifth Street East.
