East Side Pride Of Chatham-Kent Community Association
Our Mission
To build and maintain a safe and healthy
neighbourhood for children, teens, seniors and their families.
Our Goal
To be a crime free neighbourhood that is
safe and welcoming for all citizens and to make the east side of Chatham
one of the safest places to live, work and play.
A Little History and Reason….
The focus of East Side Pride is to provide a safe, crime free neighbourhood for our families.
We began in July 1999, when we could no longer tolerate the crime and
deterioration of our neighbourhood. A group of like minded citizens
decided to take a stand to reclaim their neighbourhood. We soon
discovered that by saying and doing nothing, we were responsible for
allowing unwanted behaviour to continue and grow within our community.
We have learned that we must accept responsibility for our community and
encourage citizen involvement to make necessary changes. Through a
strong community commitment and partnership with the Chatham-Kent Police
Service, our programs have had a positive impact in our community.
East
Side Pride shares our crime prevention experience with other communities
to assist in developing their own community programs. Working together
to build communities up will prevent the negative behaviour that tears
communities down.
Frequently asked Questions…
What is East Side Pride
?
East Side Pride is a not for profit community association in the east
side of Chatham in the Municipality of Chatham-Kent Ontario.
Who is East Side Pride?
Concerned citizens dedicated to improving our community.
How does East Side Pride improve our community?
Through crime reduction and crime prevention strategies and by educating
our community. We also engage in community building activities that
encourage positive behaviour in our neighbourhood.
How is East Side Pride funded?
East Side Pride is funded through our own fundraising efforts, donations
from citizens, corporations and organizations. We also apply for
available grant applications.
I would like to be involved; how much effort and time will this
take?
We have many programs and projects. You can be involved as much as you
like. The time you want to spend assisting our community is entirely up
to you. There is plenty of work for everyone at any given time. We
appreciate any level of participation in building a better community.
What is Crime Prevention?
Crime prevention is applying strategies or techniques that reduce the
risk of people, neighbourhoods and communities from becoming victims of
crime.
Is East Side Pride directed by the Police?
East Side Pride has built a strong partnership with the police but we
are not directed by anyone except the members of our organization.
Why is it the responsibility of the community to keep their
neighbourhoods safe and crime free?
The police cannot be everywhere all the time. We know our neighbourhood
better than anyone. The most effective crime reduction and prevention
programs happen when a community works in partnership with the police.
We must have a zero tolerance of crime. If we no longer tolerate crime,
we can prevent crime and reduce the odds of our neighbourhood becoming
victims of crime.
Crime is down, so why do we still need to practice prevention?
Crime is down but not gone. We must keep practicing prevention to
maintain the level safety and security in our neighbourhood that we have
achieved. We know from experience that our community will be safer as
long as we continue to work together and not accept negative behaviour.
Programs and Projects of East Side Pride
Community Strollers: Community citizen patrol group.
Lend a Hand: An annual community improvement project that
involves partnerships and the community.
Swimming sponsorship: Providing free swimming at the local
pool to ensure accessible summer recreation to all children and
families.
Halloween Street Safe: Patrollers out on the street to ensure
a safe Devils Night and Halloween.
Community Christmas Caroling Hayride: Police escorted hay
wagons carrying carolers throughout the neighbourhood with special
guests, Mr. and Mrs. Claus.
Neighbours Night Out: A night of fun and getting to know each
other . This free event encourages community, police, municipal
officials to meet each other. This is a community building event.
Presentations: Available to interested groups and communities.
Awards
2000~Community Achievement Award
2001~Community Partnership Award
2002~Award of Excellence for Fighting Crime
Members assisted with the Taylor Park clean-up with
the East-side Pride Group.
Contact us for more information.
mcrew@mnsi.net
Marjorie Crew – Chair 351-1269
www.eastsidepride.ca
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