Families gathered at Le Patro on Thursday afternoon for activities and freshly cooked burgers and hot dogs to celebrate La semaine de la paternité, or fatherhood week, a time to recognize the important role fathers play in children’s lives.
This is the second year the event has been organized by AutonHomme Pontiac, a non-profit group dedicated to supporting men in difficulty and their families in the region.
“We offer days like this today, father-child days, where we give fathers the opportunity to spend time with their children,” said Pierre-Alain Jones, who stepped into the role of director for AutonHomme Pontiac two weeks ago.
“Today was all about promoting the father-child bond and spending this time together.”
One of the activities being offered to attendees was birdhouse-building, which came together thanks to the creativity of Gabriel Lemaire, one of the event’s organizers and grillmaster for the event.
Lemaire explained he repurposed leftover planks of wood from . . .
his home renovations to create the pieces for the project.
“Dad could sit down with his kids, build a little birdcage, take it home, maybe paint it, see if a bird would take up residence there. That was my little independent activity,” Lemaire said
“The fun thing about building the birdhouse is that it’s assembled here, but the project can continue at home. Go back and check with Dad to see if there’s a bird that’s made a nest,” added Kim Laroche, another AutonHomme staff member at the event.
The event was scheduled to have a variety of activities, such as bouncy castles provided by Les maisons des jeunes du Pontiac, as well as archery, but due to the rain on Thursday, some activities were unavailable. Laroche said people had contacted her prior to the event to tell her they wouldn’t be attending due to bad weather.
Jones said he has seen a rising demand for services helping men in the region.
“The needs are there,” Jones said. “We see it, I think, every day, the situation of men, especially homelessness, we see more and more.”
Jones said the organization offers a variety of services, primarily focused around housing placements, and works with organizations around the Pontiac to provide services for men in need.
Laroche explained that the events organized by AutonHomme are not just for men in need, and are welcome to everyone that wishes to attend.
