THUNDER BAY – Members of the Portuguese Association of Thunder Bay gathered at the Cultural Centre to celebrate the re-opening of the Cultural Centre after the pandemic.
Julio Gomes, a member of the association says that, as they would normally have a gathering around this time of year, it seemed the perfect time to celebrate the grand re-opening.
“The last couple of years has been pretty difficult with the COVID pandemic not just for businesses and individuals but as well for cultural groups we've had a lot of opportunities that we've not been able to work on,” he said.
“We've had to shut down for a long period of time, and we also want to take this occasion to thank the Government of Ontario and the Ontario Trillium Foundation for the support that they've given us.”
The Ontario Trillium Foundation provided the association with over $43,000 in grants which Gomes says has allowed the association to continue to operate.
“We've been able to pay our utility bills to keep the lights on and the building heated as well as purchase personal protective equipment and hand sanitizing stations to make sure that all of our guests are comfortable and safe,” he said.
Suzanne Sterling, a volunteer with the Ontario Trillium Foundation says it’s important to support to organizations like the Portuguese Association of Thunder Bay because they help people stay connected.
“A lot of people felt isolated and disconnected, and so one of the grants that we were supporting or one of the activities we were supporting is things like staying in touch,” she said.
“So, an organization could stay in touch with their membership through increasing their outreach, either virtually or their websites or virtual meetings, that type of thing, and so it works great for people to stay in touch.”
Gomes says it's very exciting to have so many people back in the building and that he’s looking forward to the future.
“It's wonderful that we're able to be open again to welcome members of the Portuguese community, as well as the Thunder Bay community at large,” he said.
“Christmas is just around the corner and we wanted to take this opportunity to celebrate, bring everybody together and know that we're going to have a better and brighter 2023.”
