Unions give evacuees free tickets to the circus
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 19/05/2011 (5234 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
It was 11 days ago now that the rising Assiniboine River forced the first families out of their homes in Brandon.
With little more than their clothes and necessities in tow, it has been a long 264 hours and counting as they stay at hotels and bunk with friends and family. For most, the novelty is wearing off.
That’s why the Brandon Police Association and the Brandon Professional Firefighter/Paramedics Association have stepped up to offer evacuees free tickets to the Shrine Circus’ matinee performance this Saturday.
"We thought this would be a great opportunity to help families take their minds off the fact that they’re not at home and at the same time, enjoy something they may or may not have the opportunity to go see," BPA president Kevin Loewen told the Sun.
Approximately 100 families will have the opportunity to enjoy the Shrine Circus in Brandon this weekend. Tickets will be available to evacuees on a first-come, first-served basis at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the evacuee reception centre in the Canada Room in the Keystone Centre.
Although the evacuees won’t be returning to their homes before the month is out, BFA/PA president Wade Ritchie says at the very least, an afternoon of entertainment will help take their mind off things.
"Anyone that is closed up in a hotel room, eventually the walls are going to start creeping up on you. As a parent, I know how it can get frustrating and stressful when the kids start getting impatient," Ritchie said.
"This, we hope, will relieve some of that stress for not only the kids but the parents, too."
Young children especially may not understand why they cannot return home, and the transition can be difficult, Loewen says.
"Nothing is going to be normal, especially when you’re young and you don’t have a full idea of what the issues are that are causing your day to be different than what it would normally be," he said.
"So this is a great opportunity for the police association to be part of the solution and to show the community that we’re not just the people patrolling but we’re also looking for opportunities to partner with people in the community for positive reasons, not necessarily the stereotypical negative response."
To offer the tickets free of charge, BPA and the BPF/PA partnered up to split the costs.
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