It takes a village to raise a child and everyone knows it—except the hamlet of Ardmore.
A survey in Ardmore evidently listed “positive growth” as a priority in the hamlet and that growth does not include the addition of a group home for troubled youth from 12-18 years old. A group of 30-40 concerned citizens showed up at a public hearing on Aug. 20 to oppose an application that had been submitted for a for-profit group home development in an existing three or four bedroom house.
With concerns ranging from the effect such a development would have on property value and thefts and crime in the area, the citizens successfully managed to block the group home from being located in their “nice, quiet community,” submitting letters that suggested instead that “it is a youth group home for native children, therefore…this facility should be on one of the reserves where the elders are more readily available.”
There was some concern for the children who would inhabit the home, like the lack of amenities and hospitals in Ardmore, as well as the lack of a police presence. The house would be run by paid staff rather than parents, which would not lend itself to a family atmosphere. There are no school clubs – just 4-H, which has always claimed aims to teach children leadership and confidence in a bid to create strong, contributing members of society.
There are many small-town values that can be of strong value to the troubled youth that have these citizens so concerned.
They could learn the meaning of being a good neighbour—offering a helping hand to those in need. They could learn the importance of community, of coming together to fundraise for an important cause or help those who cannot help themselves. There are so many positive aspects to small town life that those in small towns like to go on and on about, probably why many of us choose to live in small towns rather than give in to the lure of the big cities.
Maybe those small town values aren't so valuable after all if they can't stretch far enough to welcome a few children facing troubles into their community, to teach them how to help each other and help themselves.
When children are facing obstacles most of us can't imagine, it's disappointing those of us lucky enough to live in idyllic little towns are more concerned with our property values.
One of the letters read during the hearing stated, “We feel it will bring an element of danger to our community and not be a positive contribution to our neighbourhoods. We can assume this is only a money producing venture and not something being done for the general care and concern of the children in need because there is nothing in our community to assist these children in becoming contributing citizens of society.”
With an attitude like that, they just might be right.
