FERGUS – Centre Wellington hosted its first New Resident Reception on Sept. 19 at the Centre Wellington Community Sportsplex.
New residents from Fergus, Elora, Salem and Belwood were all welcomed.
The event featured 16 organizations – including the Fergus BIA, the Upper Grand District School Board, and the Victoria Park Seniors Centre – as well as colouring activities and prize draws.
According to organizers, the event aimed to create a welcoming environment for all residents and foster a strong sense of belonging within the community.
“Adjusting to a growing community can be overwhelming,” stated Mayor Shawn Watters in a press release.
“To help make this transition smoother for everyone, we want to ensure that new residents have the essential information they need to feel right at home.
“The New Resident Reception is a welcoming event aimed at introducing newcomers to local services, and how to find the information they need, specific to Centre Wellington.”
New residents Madeline and Graham Thompson moved to Fergus on July 1 from their Toronto home.
“We wanted a nice place to raise our family,” said Madeline.
“I love it here … we are both from smaller towns, so we like how the community seems very nice and it’s not so busy and bustling the way Toronto was.”
New residents moving to Centre Wellington from outside of Canada were also welcomed with supports from the County of Wellington Social Services Department, which works to connect refugees and immigrants with housing, food and employment supports.
“We have been taking in people from Syria and Ukraine,” said Eduardo Queiruga a settlement worker with the social services department.
“And one of our Syrians, she is a paraplegic, and she needed a chair. So, we got in contact with a lady in Elora who had a chair, and she donated it to this new lady from Syria. Things like that I think are so good.”
Emergency services such as the OPP and the Centre Wellington fire department were also present to teach new residents about fire and road safety, as well as educate young families on how to keep young children safe in a new community.
New residents unable to attend the reception can still find community information at Centrewellington.ca.
