Organizers of a new club are looking to bring Powell River’s newcomers together.
Liz Matthews and her husband Michael are newcomers to the city and they are looking to meet new people. They are retired international school teachers who recently moved to Powell River from Zurich, Switzerland where they had their last teaching post. Originally from the United Kingdom, the couple has taught in cities around the world. They have called New York, Bangkok, Brussels, Toronto and Victoria home. During her 33 years of living as an expatriate, Liz has come to rely on newcomers groups to meet people.
When she moved to Powell River last year she started almost immediately as a volunteer ESL (English as a second language) tutor at Powell River Employment Program (PREP) Society. It was not long before she suggested the idea of establishing a newcomers’ group to coordinator Kelli Henderson.
Liz set up a table at the Newcomers’ Social held at Powell River Recreation Complex recently and started asking people if they’d be interested in joining up.
“We grabbed as many newcomers as we could,” said Liz. “By the end we had 25 names signed up.”
The group is for all ages and families are welcomed. Child care will be offered during the meeting.
Liz plans to get the word out about the group to the community and organize an initial meeting. “Just to see what people want to do,” she said. After that, the group can start organizing events.
While she was living in Toronto, she joined the newcomers’ club which had a wide range of activities from day hikes and tennis matches to bridge matches and theatre trips. In a similar way, once the newcomers to Powell River gather they can form smaller interest-based or activity groups.
“With a group of people it gives you a little confidence to go off and try something that you might not do by yourself,” she said. “It gives you that core social group when you first arrive and a way to meet people in the community.”
Liz is planning the first meeting of the group for 2 pm Sunday, June 2, at Cranberry Seniors’ Centre. For more information about the club readers can contact Liz at 604.414.9436 or by email at [email protected].
