Nearly 500 people stopped by Paris Lions Park for the County’s inaugural Brant Cares Community Connection Day on Saturday, July 25, 2026.
From Brant 4-H and Contact Brant to the Lions Club of Paris, Nova Vita, SOAR Community Services, the Equity & Advocacy Social Justice Foundation, the Sexual Assault Centre of Brant, the Ministry of Transportation, emergency services and more, nearly 30 community organizations were on site offering information and resources.
Brian Grice, the County’s community safety and well-being supervisor, said the event was designed to help residents connect with local organizations.
“We’ve invited our friends from the different service providers throughout the community to come out and showcase what they offer and what people in the county can access,” he said. “I think a lot of the time things are very Brantford-bound, so we wanted to show that these services are available to everyone in the county. The overall goal of today is for everyone to have some one-on-one conversations with these different organizations.”
Grice added that the county’s population has grown over the past several years, and the municipality wanted to ensure everyone, both longtime residents and newcomers, knew where to turn for support.
“The County of Brant is going through a big transition,” he said. “The population is really shifting and I think a lot of people feel lost because they don’t know where to turn, so if we can have someone even make just one connection here today, then it’s worth it.”
To help encourage visitors to stop by and chat with every booth, the County used a passport system, ensuring everyone had the opportunity to make a new connection. By collecting 15 stamps, residents were entered to win a prize at the end.
Emma Johnston and Laura Eadie of the County of Brant Public Library said it was nice to be part of the event.
“I thought it was amazing,” said Eadie. “There were so many different people here and it was a great chance to show off what we have and to talk to new community members.”
Johnston added, “It was also a great chance for all of the community groups to connect with each other, see what they’re offering and how we can utilize and share each other’s resources.”
Many guests took advantage of the free swim just up the hill, while others spent the afternoon running around the playground equipment, playing games, getting their face painted, or enjoying some live entertainment.
Grice said that overall, he was pleased with the turnout.
“We didn’t know what to expect, but it’s been a really great turnout,” he said. “The community and our partners really showed up for us, so we’re calling it a win.”
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
