Changes for the better are underway with the Ponoka Parent Link Centre; the community agency is moving to a new downtown location to meet the growing needs of its users.
Andrea Ramage, program co-ordinator, is excited for the upcoming move to 5012 48 Avenue, across the street from the Bargain Shop.
She has been working on sealing the deal on a new location since Christmas and feels the move benefit parents and children.
“We serve a lot of Ponoka families and sometimes our centre gets 50, 60, 70 individuals coming out for playgroup. That’s parents and children and it’s a lot of fun, but it gets crowded,” said Ramage. “We could do so much more and it would just be nice to have space.”
This new location is large enough the centre will have a full kitchen and could host more than one class or event at once. Ramage looks forward to hosting pancake breakfasts and dinner nights and other programming for her clients.
She feels they will be able to teach a parenting course while children take part in their own program. “We’ll have the space and the physical capacity to do that.”
Ramage has big ideas for the centre.
She suggests they could provide a Zumba class for moms and a yoga class for their kids in the 2,500 square foot space.
The lease has been signed and Ponoka Parent Link Centre gets the keys at the end of the month but work needs to be done before they are ready to host events. Ramage’s hope is to be open in June but that is dependent on funds.
She has had some help already, the Ponoka Kinettes are stocking the centre’s kitchen with appliances and supplies such as pots, pans and plates.
“It’s very generous and I’m very excited about that,” stated Ramage.
Interest in the move is growing. Ramage has received offers from clients and community groups to help the centre.
“It’s everybody’s community centre so I think it’s important to people. It’s important to parents. It’s important to kids so I think they are excited to basically get a new house,” she said.
The centre’s clients are parents, caregivers and guardians of all ages and the children they work with are newborns to six year olds. “Older siblings are welcome as well, it’s just our programming is towards zero to six.”
Based on program evaluations, Ramage says her clients feel the centre gives them a sense of community. She has seen new parents and new residents find meaningful connections at the centre.
The Ponoka Parent Link Centre opened eight years ago in the Family and Community Support Centre building. More information on the centre can be found at www.centralparklandparentlink.ca.