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Winter Social celebrates a welcoming community

Jan 22, 2019 | 12:36 PM

An annual celebration was held over the weekend for newcomers, volunteers and community members who help make Red Deer a more welcoming community.

The Immigrant Centre Winter Social is hosted yearly by the Central Alberta Refugee Effort and Catholic Social Services Immigration and Settlement  for some of their clients to enjoy music and activities, share food and socialize.

“We serve immigrants in different ways and different capacities,” said Julia Grymalyuk with Catholic Social Services. “Events such as this one make them more comfortable in Red Deer” “we want them to feel comfortable and supported by each other, and welcomed in Canada.”

Tessa Murphy, a settlement practitioner with CARE, also touched on the importance of hosting events such as this one for newcomers.

“It’s very important for clients of both CARE and CSS to feel like this is their community, too,” she said. “We like to do that through positivity. We want this to be their community in the same way that it’s everyone else’s community, and this is a way to do that. We believe every event like this shows the true Red Deer and shows both who we want to be and who we are right now.”