The Newcomer's Welcome Centre (NWC) and Recreation Opportunities for Kids(ROC) recently partnered to offer swimming lessons to newcomers of Portage. Don Body of the NWC says the partnership was a great experience for everybody involved.

"The partnership is with Recreation Opportunities for Kids and the Newcomer's Welcome Centre which is a program out of the Portage Learning and Literacy Centre. This has gone unbelievable. This is an opportunity for kids to be able to enter the pool. It's been amazing to see kids the comfortable in the pool and have fun and have cultures cross from all over the world."

Recreation Supervisor for ROC Lynne parker says the response was overwhelming.

"It was overwhelming. We had a maximum of 30 kids and we maxed that out right away, that's kind of what the funding goes for. Because this was very laid back with the lessons we let younger kids in the pool and parents came with them so it was really all in all a whole family sort of thing, the whole family in swimming lessons. "

Samantha Wang Siyan took part in the swimming lessons and said it was a lot of fun. She notes when she started the lessons she was afraid of the water but notes she loved every minute of the lessons and now loves the water.