The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

30 - The Oakville Beaver, Friday January 25, 2008 www.oakvillebeaver.com YMCA great place to start for newcomers M oving to a new town with young children is a daunting experience at best ­ and new Oakville resident Louise Smith can definitely attest to that fact after her recent move to Oakville from Ottawa. "There was just a whole bunch of turmoil going on and the kids were unpacking the boxes as fast as we could pack them..." Louise and her husband and two children, two-year-old Thomas and four-year-old Angela were sad to leave their friends and family in Ottawa, but glad to find the YMCA of Oakville. "When we moved here I needed to get plugged in very quickly. We found the Y and it was a great facility and had lots of programs for the kids." "Young kids just don't know what a move means. My daughter Angela had a lot to deal with after we pulled her away from friends and family and we wanted to get her involved quickly." "When you walk in the door you see all of the kids right away, and you feel welcome. My first contact here was at the front desk where everything was explained well. The staff are very caring and focused on the kids." Louise and her children tried some different things at the Y. "Angela went to the `Creative Hands & Feet' program and loved it. We also did the free drop-in programs with `Steps & Stages' ­ a lot of people don't know that you don't have to be a Y member to do these early-years programs. This can be a lifeline when you are new to a town...just finding someone to share a cup of coffee and a play with is great." Louise described Thomas as a `very physical little boy', who enjoyed the GymKids program. "He loves the fish tank and the mural on the wall." Welcome to Oakville, Smith family...from your new friends at the YMCA of Oakville! The YMCA of Oakville is a charitable association open to all, dedicated to providing life-long opportunities for health enhancement and personal growth. -- Submitted by the YMCA of Oakville