YMCA of Eastern Ontario

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Kingston East Community Centre Soft Opening and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Media Advisory from the City of Kingston

WHEN:        Monday, March 21 at 1 p.m.        

WHERE:       Kingston East Community Centre, 779 Highway 15

WHO:           Speeches from:

  • Mayor Bryan Paterson
  • Councillor Ryan Boehme,
  • Rob Adams, CEO, YMCA of Eastern Ontario
  • Rhonda Evans, Vice Chair of the Pittsburgh Community Benefit Fund
  • Michèle Dubois, Executive Director, ACFOMI
  • Representatives from the Kewaywin Circle

WHAT:         It is with great enthusiasm that we announce the opening of the Kingston East Community Centre (KECC)!  The day will include speeches, a smudging ceremony, and a tour of the facility.

After the ribbon is cut, attendees will be invited inside for a tour of the Centre, which will include a smudging ceremony with members of the Kewaywin Circle, a local Indigenous advisory group that provides support, guidance, and cultural connections and teachings for First Nations, Inuit, and Metis youth. Smudging ceremonies have been a custom of indigenous cultures for centuries and have been used as a way to create a cleansing smoke bath that purifies the body, aura, energy, and on this day, the new ceremonial space offered at the KECC. It will be a truly inclusive and immersive way to open up the new centre and bring in a positive energy.

Also, for your awareness, there will be a Grand Opening event on Saturday, March 26 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. for the public. There will be free programming from our Community Partners (the YMCA, the Seniors Association, EarlyON, the Boys and Girls Club, and Loving Spoonful) and the Kewaywin Circle will join us again for a drumming and singing circle. It will be a day for the community to drop in at their own leisure, enjoy the beautiful KECC and take part in all the wonderful new activities that will be offered there daily. 

We hope you can join us for the momentous occasion!

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Media contact: For more information call the communications and customer experience department at 613-546-4291, ext. 2300.