‘Never seen snow before’: Group of young newcomers get first taste of winter fun

Waterloo Region has been dealing with the downside of winter this week in the aftermath of a major snow storm, but some local youngsters are getting to experience just how fun the season can be.

The Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) partnered with Reception House to take a group of young newcomers tubing for the first time ever.

“Many of them have never seen snow before,” said Cherri Greeno, WRPS’ Director of Corporate Affairs.

Greeno said police have worked with Reception House for years, hosting presentations and connecting with new Canadians to teach them about policing in our community.

This year, they decided to do something different.

“During one of our meetings with Reception House, we did bring up that we would like to do something fun and unique, especially with the youth that are arriving,” explained Greeno. “We had the idea of tobogganing, and then we spoke with the people from Chicopee and decided to partner with them.”

Chicopee Tube Park graciously agreed to host the event but there was another important piece: getting winter gear.

Greeno said since this is the children’s first Canadian winter, they didn’t have winter clothing.

“When they arrive in Canada, some of them come in flip flops — and actually some were at the meeting wearing flip flops.”

A call was issued to local police members to help out and Greeno said the response was overwhelming. Many stepped up and donated items, so everyone is bundled up and able to enjoy the slopes comfortably.

“We were able to outfit all of the youth here today taking part in winter boots, winter jackets, winter hats, mittens — everything that they needed for a fun day.”

About 25 to 30 refugees are taking part in the tubing event, ranging in age from 10 to 18. There’s also some younger kids, aged 5, who are getting to play in the snow and enjoy winter activities.

Greeno joked they couldn’t of picked a better week to do this, given all the recent snowfall.

“There was a moment earlier when we were planning this where we questioned whether there would even be snow in February, and lucky for us, we did get a lot of snow this week!”

She added the goal of the event, on top of having a good time, is strengthening the relationship between young newcomers and police.

“We just thought that this would be a day where we could have fun with them and continue building that relationship — because we want them to feel safe, we want them to feel secure, and we want them to know the police are here to help them if they ever need it.”