On Halloween night, over 440 Verdun youth, their friends and family waited in line to visit Toujours ensemble’s famous haunted house. This year, the organization’s staff transformed the basement of its Carolyn Hayes Renaud Centre into a frightful maze of live dramatic performances inspired by Walt Disney’s most sinister characters.
After more than two years of adapting its activities to meet COVID-19 restrictions, staff spared no effort in creating a hauntingly memorable and immersive experience for the eager visitors.
Maxime Leroy, Coordinator of Toujours ensemble’s Parcours program and school lunch service, explains that novel activities like these bring the community together. “Our mission is to help youth in Verdun overcome barriers and develop their full potential through educational and recreational activities,” he says. “A big part of that is creating opportunities for youth to get together outside of school, have fun and develop a sense of belonging to their community, even if it means scaring them a little,” he adds with a smile.
Christine Loiselle, Coordinator of Sac à dos, a program that provides some 60 elementary school kids in Verdun with innovative learning tools and strategies to succeed, says Halloween night at Toujours ensemble reveals how much of a tradition it is for the neighborhood. “It’s touching to hear parents say, I used to come here as a kid, now my kids are living the same experience. It shows how rooted Toujours ensemble is in Verdun, but also in the hearts of its citizens.”
The team at Toujours ensemble is already brainstorming ideas for next year’s haunted house.
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Source : Toujours ensemble
