BHC's Family Fun Day took place this year at Lac Philippe in Gatineau Park. Participants, kids, and staff all had a great time enjoying the beautiful weather. We swam, ate, and caught crawfish! Thank you to everyone for joining us and for making this day so memorable.

Family Day is an annual tradition at Bethany Hope. There have been many great trips in the past, including Saunders Farm, and Logos Land. But we had so much fun at Lac Philippe last year, we decided to head back for another day at the beach.

The first payments under the federal government's new Canada Child Benefit (CCB) program were made to eligible parents late last month.

"For lower-income households, the CCB is billed as a game-changer. Finance Canada says the CCB will lift 300,000 children out of poverty, compared with 2014-15 figures.

Here's why: families with less than $30,000 in annual net income receive these maximum yearly benefits:

An additional $2,730 per child eligible for the disability tax credit."

Do you know how much money should be coming to you under this program?

Did you receive the amount of additional money you expected?

Check here for a description of this program and here to connect to the government's Canada Child Benefit web site.

Want to purchase fresh vegetables at reasonable prices? If so, the Ottawa Good Food Box may be of interest to you:

"We are a non-profit community-based initiative bringing neighbours together to buy a variety of delicious and nutritious fresh fruits and vegetables at wholesale prices. Our goal is to purchase food that is in season and is grown as close to home as possible.

The Good Food Box buys food at wholesale prices and resells them at the same price. The Good Food Box does not make a profit on the sales of the food [...] We have 38 pickup sites throughout the Ottawa area, and surrounding rural communities [...] And it's open to everyone - with no membership fees.

We offer $10, $15 and $20 boxes. We also offer a $5 fruit bag and a $25 medium size organic box . The $10 boxes are great for singles and small families, while the $15 and $20 boxes are ideal for larger households. Each month the box contents are a little different."

Join the Playroom crew on Thursday August 4th to celebrate Music Day. This fun and engaging playgroup is designed to be a blast for both parents and their children. There will be singing. There will be dancing. There will even be instrument making! You'll learn how to make simple musical instruments out of things around the house, from plastic spoon-shakers to paper towel tube rainsticks to tissue box guitars.

This event is happening really soon, so sign up now!

Time sure goes by quickly.

While we're still enjoying summer, the City of Ottawa Recreation Department is busy informing residents of its Fall and Winter programs.

By checking here, you can see a list of all the major recreational programs the city offers and this link will connect you to the their programs primarily focused on preschoolers.

Although most of these programs are not free, the city has a generous fee support program to help families. Check here to see how this program works and if you qualify for assistance.

Many homeowners and apartment dwellers are afraid that they will find themselves locked out one  day after losing their keys. Hiding a key nearby seems like a good idea, but it isn't. Burglars know where to look for hidden keys. Putting a key under the doormat, above the door or in a potted plant are all places a burglar will look. It may be more inconvenient but it's much better to leave an extra key with a trusted neighbour.