Welcoming spirit at R.A. Steen
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This article was published 23/04/2019 (2328 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Wolseley’s Robert A. Steen Community Centre is a microcosm of the neighbourhood.
Tucked away at the end of a tree-lined block, the centre at 980 Palmerston Ave. offers a wide range of activities from team sports to yoga lessons to music and art classes.
Paula Roeder has been the program co-ordinator at R. A. Steen for 12 years. Her favourite part of the centre is the closeness of the community that uses it.
“We try to have programming for all demographics and I think that we have a very welcoming spirit here, everybody here treats it like their home and anybody coming in is greeted,” she said, adding that it’s not unusual for residents to bring their own shovels to clear the outdoor rinks during the summer.
The community centre — located in a former church that was purchased by the City in the 1980s for $1 — is named after the 38th mayor of Winnipeg. R. A. Steen has baseball, basketball, indoor and outdoor soccer, fencing and hockey teams associated with the club.
Year-round drop-in programming includes parent and tot programs for families; art classes, yoga and floor hockey for kids; pre-teen dances, babysitting and home alone courses for youth; and pickleball, folk music workshops, volleyball, improv classes, badminton and zumba for adults. Annual signature events include the winter carnival, fall craft sale, breakfast with Santa and the Envision Arts Festival. The Wolseley Farmers’ Market is also a regular fixture during the spring and summer.
The centre brings in some revenue from facility rentals in addition to its annual operating grant but it doesn’t host socials because there’s no liquor allowed on the premises.
Even with the active Wolseley community, Roeder said attracting new volunteers for the board and events can be a struggle.
“A lot of our events wouldn’t be taking place without our volunteers,” she said, explaining that the winter carnival alone requires 86 volunteers.
“We have a lot of repeat volunteers and the recruiting of new volunteers is a challenge because they don’t realize that it’s just an hour.
“Everybody has such busy lives now that it’s difficult for them to commit.”