Newcomers' Welcome Centre Presents To Rotary

Members of the Portage la Prairie Rotary Club had a chance to learn a little bit more about a local organization that aims to help those new to the country become established. Don Boddy of the Newcomers’ Welcoming Centre at the Portage Learning and Literacy Centre spoke to the club during their weekly meeting, outlining their work with those immigrating to Canada. Boddy says he was interested in the work, noting the opportunity to meet people from all walks of life.

"I'm really fascinated by a majority of people, and you multiply that by a million when you meet people from around the world and hear their stories. The idea of helping people come to Canada or be established in Canada really excited me. I worked in the learning centre before, so it was good to go back."

He notes they help those new to Canada face a variety of challenges during the immigration process. He says everything from daily tasks to paperwork are faced by those coming to the country.

"Loneliness is a big issue and helping them really connect to the community and establish friendships. Many of them are here without family or supports. The other things is helping them get through all of the documentation and staying up to date with all of the processes of getting established in Canada. The there's the stuff that you and I face like jobs, housing, family issues and all of that stuff."

Boddy says the organization helps between 75 to 100 people on the average month, addressing everything from English speaking skills to driving. The newer program only has two directly involved with the centre, and he says they're hoping to have some volunteers help them to address the needs of their clients.

"Anybody who enjoys people, there's all kinds of things that people can volunteer with. If you like to do office kind of work, we can use you there. If you like connecting with new families, teaching English as a second language or teaching people how to shop, what groceries to buy or how to prepare food, there's many opportunities. Anything that they like, we can probably use them as a volunteer."

He says it's always exciting to see how excited their clients are to receive the help to become established in the community.