Touch-a-Truck brings the noise

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This article was published 06/06/2022 (1430 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Keystone Centre grounds were filled with the sounds of blaring big rig horns, emergency vehicle sirens and children’s laughter Saturday during the Touch-a-Truck fundraiser.

Touch-a-Truck is a family-friendly event that brings together all types and sizes of trucks, rigs, machines and everything in between for youth to explore. Each ticket purchased for the event supports Kokum’s Early Enrichment Program (KEEP), a daycare run by the Brandon Friendship Centre.

More than 3,200 visitors toured the grounds during this year’s Touch-a-Truck event.

“Anybody who’s ever had kids or has been a kid, we all know that the draw is definitely there. Being able to see them [the vehicles] and touch them and explore them close up [is amazing],” said co-ordinator Kerri Malazdrewicz. “Whenever they’re working, it’s dangerous for kids to just mosey on up. So this gives them the opportunity to do that in a safer environment and allows them to ask questions and to figure out how things work and to see how absolutely monstrous some of these vehicles are.”

The vehicles featured in the event come from a wide variety of businesses, emergency services and the military. People were eager to participate, she added, and many volunteers offered to bring more than one vehicle for the youth to learn about.

“Kids can explore them and touch them and ‘drive’ them and really get some hands-on exploration,” Malazdrewicz said. “It can get very crazy when all of the horns and all of the sirens and everything is going, especially from the really big trucks.”

The event saw 10 new vehicles in 2022, including a helicopter on display for the first time and a heavy-duty fire truck from the Brandon Municipal Airport.

Touch-a-Truck opens with a quiet hour for visitors who may be more sensitive to loud noises. Malazdrewicz said the goal was to be more inclusive and ensure families and youth with these sensitives are also supported and can participate in the different activities comfortably.

The last Touch-a-Truck fundraiser took place in 2019. It was great to be back at the Keystone Centre grounds hearing the sounds of big trucks and emergency vehicles blasting their horns and sirens for youth in attendance, Malazdrewicz said.

“It’s so amazing to bring this back. I think everyone is excited to be here. All our vendors were so pumped,” she said. “All of the people that have come in have smiling faces. They’re so excited.”

Along with the unique rigs for youth to explore, Touch-a-Truck also featured a cardboard box town for kids to play in and decorate, sandboxes placed in giant tires and a bubble-blowing station.

Touch-A-Truck serves as a fundraiser for the KEEP program. KEEP has two different locations and the goal of continuing to upgrade its playgrounds and food program in support of enrolled children.

All funds raised go toward the daycare and ensures they can keep having field trips, outings and other activities for youth, said KEEP 1 director Chloe Plaisier.

The KEEP program services 110 families using pedagogy learning, meaning they use natural elements of the environment to teach children along with using an emergent curriculum.

“We follow the children’s interests, use natural items while working with them and we do lots of outdoor play,” Plaisier said. “We’re unique because we have Indigenous teachings on a daily basis.”

It is a distinctive program, she added, as they do not charge families for meals at the daycare, and Touch-a-Truck helps make this possible. KEEP includes subsidized children to aid families in need.

The daycare charges $20 per day for preschool students aged two to six and $30 for infants aged three months to two years old.

The KEEP playgrounds are nature-based and include riverbeds and natural hills for youth. The playgrounds are located at 836 Lorne Ave. by the Brandon Friendship Centre and 1129B Third St. beside George Fitton School.

The daycare also provides transportation for unique field trips and outings. Before COVID-19, Plaisier said, the youth visited places like the Winnipeg Zoo, Clear Lake for medicine picking and other special locations in Brandon.

All activities the daycare engages in are carefully documented to create a special photo/storybook when they graduate from the program as a keepsake.

Touch-a-Truck serves as a critical fundraising event while giving parents at the centre the chance to gather, volunteer and help build community connections, said Brandon Friendship Centre executive assistant Jeremy Monias.

Touch-a-Truck was set to take place rain or shine, he said, but he is grateful the weather cleared providing a warm sunny day for visitors.

He was glad to see the event back in Brandon after a hiatus due to COVID-19 public health measures.

“It helps the community overall because this is a big attraction,” Monias said. “The kids love it. I see the looks on kids’ faces and they just love it — they run around with a happy look on their face, and that is really good to see.”

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