New Canaan Youth Services and Y Introduce Family Night at Gates

Gates Restaurant in New Canaan, CT is the latest partner to join New Canaan Youth Services, the New Canaan YMCA and the Outback Teen Center to offer a Family Night, geared toward getting families to sit down together.  Family Dinner at Gates will provide families with an opportunity to sit down and enjoy dinner together on Tuesday nights during February 12, 19, and 26. Family dinner will be served on these evenings during their dinner service and will feature a roasted chicken dinner plate for adults for $14 each and any children’s meal for $5.

Family Night at Gates was inspired by the successful Family Dinner Nights previously hosted by New Canaan Youth Services, the New Canaan YMCA and Outback Teen Center in an effort to increase awareness among our community’s families regarding the importance of family dinners. 

Tony Phillips, Coordinator of Youth and Family Services for the town of New Canaan commented, “We are hoping our series of Family Dinner Nights will motivate families to get around the table together more frequently.  Family dinners are key predictors to happy, healthy, and well-rounded kids.  Who would have imagined the difference that a dinner can make?  Interestingly, dinner makes all the difference."

According to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA), compared to teens who have frequent family dinners (five to seven per week), those who have infrequent family dinners (fewer than three per week) are:

• Almost four times likelier to use tobacco;

• More than twice as likely to use alcohol;

• Two-and-a-half times likelier to use marijuana; and

• Almost four times likelier to say they expect to try drugs in the future.

• Twice as likely to report receiving mostly Cs and lower grades in school.

Davie Cedela, Youth and Family Director at the New Canaan YMCA added, “We’re thrilled to be partnering with Gates on Family Dinner Nights.  We’ve seen how much the families have enjoyed coming together for dinner at the Y and hope that these events will motivate families to come together more frequently around the table, creating healthier and more connected families within our community.”

Future FREE Family Dinner events are scheduled at the Outback Teen Center, March 14 and at the YMCA of New Canaan March 22.  Contact the Outback or YMCA for more information.

Gates restaurant is located at 10 Forest Street in New Canaan.  For additional information about the importance of family dinners and keeping your family substance free, visit www.casafamilyday.org.