There was an open house geared toward newcomers to Portage la Prairie last night at the Tupper Street Family Resource Centre.

Executive Director Cathy Vanstone outlines why they hosted the event.

"We had an open house, particularly for newcomers to Portage, and new immigrant families to Portage. We want more people to know about our centre, and we've had some new parents join us. It was just an opportunity for people to come and tour the centre to find out what kind of place it is. When people realize that it's a comfortable and welcoming place, hopefully they'll come back and participate in our programs."

Araceli Rangel moved to Portage 17 years ago, and has been taking advantage of the programs offered for a little while now. She explains why she started using their services.

"I really wanted to find a place where I could bring my son and he could be around more kids so he could be more open. His first language is Spanish, so I wanted him to be involved with kids that could speak English so he could start to pick it up. They are actually really good at giving me advice on other activities going on around the community, and they also give me a break, too, because they have a parent drop-in."

Tina Thomas is also new to Portage from India. She's been here for a couple of years and has been taking advantage of the Centre's programs for some time. She's been part of the Healthy Baby program for a while now and really enjoys the support.

Vanstone adds they've got a lot of great programs at the centre, and once people meet the amazing staff they never have a problem coming back.