Families in the Norwood community rejoiced yesterday at the grand re-opening of the Norwood Child and Family Resource Centre.
The centre, located at 9516 114 Ave., had been closed as it underwent an “extreme makeover” for six weeks and has now emerged better than ever.
“We put all-new windows in, all-new flooring, all-new painting, all-new countertops, and it looks fabulous,” said Bev Parks, executive director of the centre, which provides free early-start, head-start, after-school and literacy programming to families in the area.
Luisa Magnan, 33, was one of the many parents present for the party. Magnan has been taking her two children to the centre for years, and even remembers coming to the centre herself when she was a child.
“We love it here. It’s had such an impact on us,” she said as she bounced her one-year-old baby in her lap and patted her two-year-old on the shoulder. “We just so look forward to Wednesdays because that’s our day to come to Norwood.”
The centre has been in the community for over 40 years, and now serves about 700 families.
“We’ve had families actually lie about their address when they’ve moved out of our geographical boundaries, so that they can come here. That’s how important this community centre is to them,” Parks said, beaming.
