Pending board approval, a plan is in place for Recreation Opportunities for Kids (ROK) Central to amalgamate with the Family Resource Centre. Both groups are holding their own meetings next week. 

ROK Central Executive Director Vienna Muise says she has been talking with FRC Executive Director Melissa Morrison over the last year about the services they provide and how they can better serve the community together.

"What we came up with was the fact that we need to work closer together in some capacity," says Muise. "The last year has really been figuring out what does that look like. Was that a merger? Was that an amalgamation? Was that a shared service agreement? An amalgamation seemed to be the best fit."

Muise says groups in Portage have been working together to make sure they are not duplicating services. In this case, amalgamation allows for both of them to do what they want to do. Muise believes this will strengthen both groups.

"This way, instead of just being one particular organization, and you're absorbed into them, you still can do the separate things that you're doing -- you're just doing them under one roof," says Muise. "You know, it's kind of like tearing down two older buildings and rebuilding one bigger, stronger building that just encompasses everything."

So far, feedback from other organizations and the community has been positive. The Family Resource Centre will hold their meeting Monday, September 19th at 7 p.m. while ROK Central will hold their meeting on the 22nd at 5:30 p.m. The boards will then meet, and assuming they reach an agreement, the plan is for the amalgamation to officially take place October 1st.