ARICHAT - As it prepares to launch a new fathers' support program from its newly-relocated Strait Area office, which is setting up shop in Lennox Passage after several years of operation in Port Hawkesbury, the Cape Breton Family Place Resource Centre (CBFPRC) is grateful for the funding and other assistance it has received from two levels of government. 

Speaking to TELILE 24/7 host and LJI journalist Adam Cooke at the Telile Community Television studio in Arichat, CBFPRC director Mitch McNutt commended the Nova Scotia Department of Health and Wellness and Health Canada for "recognizing the importance of parents and well-resourced parents" throughout Cape Breton Island. 

"We absolutely feel that support from those departments." 

The resource centre is currently in the process of relocating its Strait Area office from its longtime Port Hawkesbury location to a new home in Lennox Passage, which is expected to be open for business next month. McNutt feels there will always be a need for the centre's programs for families of every size and variety in the Strait of Canso. 

"Having this office down in this part of the world is important to us - we want to be [Cape Breton] in more than just our name," McNutt declared. 

At the same time, the CBFPRC is now preparing to launch its first-ever program specifically designed for Strait Area fathers, which will be run by Isle Madame resident and longtime Arichat group-home operator Mitch David. 

"We do feel it's exceptionally important to support dads in their role as parents," said McNutt. "In bringing dads together so that we can focus on parenting, I think we can really offer a source of strength to the participants....We can really help dads reach out to find supports that may not have always existed."