Wintergration sports unite us

GEOFF LEE WRITER

Learning to skate is already in the bag, so it’s on to try skiing, curling and snowshoeing.

Catholic Social Services (CSS) is on the second leg of its foursport Wintergration event.

It’s for kids in the community, especially newcomers, to learn about winter sports and make friends.

Lynn Younker, who is with the Settlement Worker in Schools program at CSS, introduced Wintergration at the Rotary Club of Lloydminster lunch on Monday.

She also took the opportunity to ask for volunteers to help kids aged 5 to 18 to learn the three remaining winter sports from January into March.

“It’s a good chance for them to learn what skating is, what curling is, and what some of these things are and actually try them out, and at the same time, get to know other people in the community,” said Younker.

“We want to make that bridge and bring newcomers and people who have been here for a long time together and have fun.”

Wintergration is a partnership of CSS, YLL My Home, Lloydminster Local Immigration Partnership, Sask Lotteries, and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

Everything is provided for free with lessons provided by anyone willing to help.

“We’re recruiting volunteers; we still need a few more,” Younker told Rotary.

“We’ve had quite the response from hockey teams. The U18 PWM Steelers helped us with the skating as well as the Youth Council; they’ve been a huge help in giving us volunteers.”

Younker says the reaction to the program has been great.

“People have signed up. We have about 60 families registered so far, so people really seem to want to be involved,” she said.

Younker says they want newcomers to feel like they have a place here and feel settled in the community.

“Just learning about different activities is one way to do that, especially when you have kids,” she said.

Skiing will take place at Mount Joy Snow Resort with the dates yet to be set, while curling is slated for Feb. 13,14 and 20.

Snowshoeing is scheduled at Weaver Park on March 1, 4 and 8 with some volunteers for that lined up from the Lloydminster Museum + Archives.

There will also be a Wintergration wrap- up party at Bud Miller All Seasons Park on March 17.

Rotary also invited Kelly Rogers, a partner at Ecoplast Solutions, to talk briefly about the local company’s design and manufacturing of high-performance houses made from recycled plastic bottles.

Rogers says Eco - plast recently acquired a building licence for British Columbia to expand its construction market using its foam core panels made from recycled plastics with R30 insulation.