The Thorold Community Activities Group (TCAG) wants to build connections, which is why they're inviting the whole community to their Open House on Monday, Feb. 3.
“We've done this three years now,” says the group’s executive director Megan Gilchrist. “The big piece of the event is having all of our community partners come in. We often find that folks in Thorold have to travel to St. Catharines or Niagara Falls or Welland. So being able to bring those services and organizations into Thorold so that people can learn about them and connect with them is really the reason why we started Open House.”
The afternoon will feature activities for young and old.
“We're going to have a little cookie decorating station for kids,” says Gilchrist. “We also have some demonstrations from some of our classes so some of our artists will have their work out on display.”
The TCAG is continuing to grow and expand its programming at different venues in the City of Thorold.
“We're not using the Canada Games Park because the cost is prohibitive there — we also often struggle to find times that work well,” Gilchrist says. “What we're doing right now is renting space at St. John's Church. So we were able to expand some of the offerings that we were planning on offering at the [James Whyte] Arena before it unfortunately had to be closed.”
To keep up with its growth, the TCAG recently hired a development coordinator.
“We're always working towards sustainably growing and that's challenging when you rely on membership fees and grants,” says Gilchrist. “So we're hoping that having an extra body to help with a lot of those pieces will really be helpful.”
With the extra help, the TCAG can develop and expand to reach as many people in the community as possible. That’s why Gilchrist hopes to see lots of Thorold families come out to the Open House.
“We have activities for the kids and they can try out some of the things like our climbing wall and do some activities,” she says. “That way it's an event for the whole family, not just for adults.”
The Open House will take place at the TCAG on Richmond Street on Monday, Feb. 3 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
