Game on! Street party celebrates social services providers in the Sault

The 'Game On Street Party' was held to celebrate Social Services Awareness Day in Sault Ste. Marie Thursday, as local service providers and community agencies came together in the central part of the city to deliver a host of family-friendly activities.

The annual event — held at Albion Street and Chapple Avenue — featured a barbecue, games, prizes, face painting and a bouncy castle. 

Thursday’s street party was highlighted by Stanley Cup champion and Ottawa Senators forward Michael Amadio, who made an appearance in his hometown to shake hands, pose for photos and play street hockey with kids during the free event. 

“Essentially what we want to do is celebrate the end of summer,” said Social Services spokesperson Riley Barsanti. “Kids are going back to school — we wanted to do something fun and free for the families in the area.” 

The street party is also intended to provide awareness of social services providers and different resources available in the Sault.

“Finding those resources at the time of need is difficult,” said Barsanti. “What we want is for people to know about the resources before they’re in need, and be familiar with the resources and the service providers and be comfortable with them — and these kinds of events are exactly what builds those kinds of relationships.” 

After hosting the event at different locations throughout the city over the years, the District of Sault Ste. Marie Social Services Administration Board decided to bring the street party back to the neighbourhood where it began in 2016. Social Services currently has 163 family units and 211 single units in the Chapple Avenue area in order to support seniors, families and individuals. 

Barsanti says the annual event was created in response to a high volume of calls to police coming from the area. 

“A lot of these calls were social issues, not necessarily police issues,” she said. “It highlighted the need for more outreach from a social services perspective in the area.”

The bulk of overhead costs for Thursday's event were offset by donations from a number of sponsors, including SooToday.