Striving to introduce young children to new cultures, the Sundre Daycare Centre recently hosted a Chinese New Year's event that featured performances from several Calgary-based groups.
"There are limited opportunities to expose our children to the different aspects of different cultures, so we as a board thought it fit well into what we have been trying to do," Chantel Sommerfeld, vice-president, told the Round Up.
Since joining the board more than a year ago, Sommerfeld said she has believed that as a non-profit organization, the daycare centre needs to provide more than just child care.
Also important is to "create partnerships within the community to bring family-oriented programs to everyone, whether they use our services or not. I am lucky to be joined with others on the board that share that thought."
A new addition to the daycare's board, Catherine Greenwood recently moved to Sundre from London with her husband and daughter, but actually originally hails from China. It was her suggestion to organize the event and Greenwood became a primary organizer who helped pull everything together, said Sommerfeld.
"I feel it went very well," she said, adding the event, which was held in February at the Sundre Community Centre, sold out a goal of 200 tickets.
"We had great attendance," said Jessica Evans, a co-organizer. "Especially considering it was a long weekend and there were several other events happening in Sundre. There are a few minor logistical tweaks that we would change for next year, but overall it went really well!"
All the people Sommerfeld observed or spoke with seemed to have enjoyed themselves, she added.
"Many people were standing, taking pictures, smiling and dancing."
Among the activities lined up were lion dance performances, ethnic dancers, a performance by a Chinese orchestra as well as Chinese folksingers, and a martial arts demonstration. Although introducing youth to another culture was a primary factor, the motivation behind the organizing event was multi-pronged, she said.
"To bring a new cultural experience to our town, to give families something to experience together, to gain exposure for the Sundre Daycare Centre as the only non-profit daycare in Mountain View County, and to bring exposure to Calgary's Chinatown district."
The organizers expressed gratitude for the sponsors that supported the event ó including grant funding from the Town of Sundre's economic development initiative fund ó as well as the Calgary Tai Chi and Martial Arts College, the Calgary Chinese Cultural Society, and the Calgary Chinese Elderly Association.
The board continues to gather feedback about the event and would like to host a similar function that would explore a different culture next year, said Sommerfeld.
"We need to make sure we listen to the attendees and make changes as required so that people see the value in attending again."
Visit www.sundredaycare.ca for more information about the centre and its activities.
