Huron County Celebrates Newcomers From Near And Far
by Bob Montgomery
Huron County's Local Immigration Partnership Manager says this year's Welcoming Week attracted visitors from all over the world and a variety of nearby communities.
Mark Nonkes says Welcoming Week ran from September 13th to September 22nd and is an opportunity to tell newcomers they're welcome to the community, whether they're new to Canada, or new from another community as close as London or Kitchener or Owen Sound, we're happy to have them become part of our community.
Welcoming Week was launched in 2021 and seems to have grown each year. This year they had eight events, and they had about forty people at each event. Some of those were people who wanted to come out and tell people what was great about their community, and other people who were new to the community and wanted to learn more about it.
Nonkes says for the newcomers it's a great opportunity to find out about the activities available to them. One of those is a series of free events at local libraries that are year round and a great way for people to connect with events and activities they might enjoy. More information about those events can be found on the Huron County Library website. Nonkes says many other organizations have ways to help people volunteer and get involved in the community and the community needs those people.
Nonkes adds, the event is a little different every year. This year they focused on building connections between newcomers and organizations within the community and next year could be something quite different.
Welcoming Week is part of a global movement led by Welcoming America and supported by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. The Huron County Immigration Partnership is one of dozens of Immigration Partnerships across Canada that celebrate Welcoming Week. If you would like to host a Welcoming Week event, please let them know and they can help you promote it. The email address is home@huroncounty.ca.
Photo courtesy of Huron County Local Immigration Partnership
