County and community partners to celebrate families with summer festival

The Strathcona County Family Resource Network (FRN) is hosting a day of free, interactive fun to celebrate and connect local families. 

The Family Resource Network Festival is on Saturday, Aug. 13 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Ardrossan Recreation Complex, featuring a foam machine, photobooth and other activities, as well as the opportunity to learn about local resources available to support kids, youth and parents. 

A lot of families faced isolation and new challenges through the pandemic. It’s important to connect families to the people and support right here in the County that can help them thrive,” says Mayor Rod Frank. 

This is the first major event for the Strathcona County FRN, which received a $900,000 provincial grant from Alberta Children’s Services to launch the program locally in early 2020. The FRN is taking this opportunity to celebrate family resilience and introduce its work to the community. 

The FRN supports families with children from ages zero to 18, offering programs that promote healthy child development, reliable parenting information and connection to community resources. FRN programs are free, parent-led and flexible, ranging from group workshops to customized one-on-one consultations on parenting challenges. 

The FRN programs and services are offered in partnership between the County’s Family and Community Services department, BGC Strathcona County and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Strathcona County.   

“Kids and youth are vibrant, valuable members of our community. We’re excited to meet more families in person at the festival and help make those connections back to resources and programs available right here in our community,” says Ty Roed, executive director of BGC Strathcona County. 

Families are invited to learn more about the Strathcona County FRN at the festival on Aug. 13, or by visiting strathcona.ca/families