Holiday Time at Portage

21-déc.-2010Portage centres across Canada have been gearing up for the Holiday Season, decorating the facilities and holding special activities and events for the residents in the weeks leading up to Christmas.

On December 3rd, all Portage Keremeos residents went to the local “Christmas Light Up Parade” and then over to the Keremeos Town Hall for hot chocolate and a craft fair. Back at the centre that night, the community sang Christmas carols by the bonfire with a big batch of chili and went on wagon rides around the property.

At Cassidy Lake, members of the District N-1 Lions Club take it upon themselves every year to make sure that Cassidy Lake youth have a happy Holiday Season. They threw a party for the residents on December 5th, where Santa Claus was handed out gifts from the residents’ wish lists.

The adolescent program at the Portage centre in Prévost is making the most of the snowy season. Tubing, skiing, and snowboarding at Saint-Sauveur, snow sculpting, snowshoeing, and skating are among their many wintery outings.

At Portage Elora, residents made crafts and gifts on the last day of classes, as is the tradition every year. In addition to watching all the Christmas classics at the centre, many outings and activities have been planned: a snow shoeing afternoon with a cookout over the fire, a tobogganing outing, a lantern-making workshop for a night walk on the winter solstice, as well as curling, bowling, swimming outings and a night out at the cinema to see the latest Harry Potter movie.

The event calendar at Portage’s Mentally Ill Chemical Abusers Program is jam-packed as well with plans for volunteering at Moisson Montréal, a hockey game followed by a special meal, a skating outing at Mount Royal, bowling and movie activities, as well as a special Christmas dinner at the centre on December 23rd.

The Holidays were a bit brighter for the children of Portage's Mother and Child centre thanks to the generosity of Mme Céline Pilote, member of the Montréal fundraising Campaign Cabinet and President of Copilote, and her employees, who gave each of them a personalised Holiday gift.

On behalf of all those who have found hope and have been able to turn their lives around at Portage, we extend heartfelt wishes for the Holiday Season to you and to all Friends of Portage.

May the New Year bring you peace, health, and happiness.

The Portage Team