Welcoming Week at the YMCA at VT

403 Washington St SW, Blacksburg VA

09 September, 2022

Description

September 9-18, Welcoming Week brings New River Valley neighbors of all backgrounds together to build strong connections and affirm the importance of welcoming and inclusive places. The YMCA at Virginia Tech is proud to host our 2nd annual Welcoming Week with support from the Town of Blacksburg, Montgomery-Floyd Regional Library, local businesses, community groups and individuals. For this 10th anniversary of the national Welcoming Week, join in at a variety of family-friendly activities and events designed to celebrate every member of this community. Be welcomed, and welcome others, because this is “Where We Belong!” WELCOMING WEEK SCHEDULE Community Picnic Sunday, September 11, 2022, 3-6pm at the Municipal Park (Caboose Park), 920 Turner St. in Blacksburg, Shelter #4 Bring your own picnic and enjoy meeting new friends. There will be fun activities and games for all including a community soccer game. In case of severe weather the event might be canceled. Please check our website updates. Multilingual Storytime Bring your children to enjoy an hour of storytelling in different languages. Thursday, Sept. 15, 4:30pm at the Montgomery-Floyd Regional Library-Blacksburg Library. Thank you to the MFRL-Blacksburg Library for partnering with us. Community Poem We invite the community to participate in a Community Poetry Project hosted by the Blacksburg Bookstore. This project aims to tap into our thoughts, ideas, and feelings about a certain topic. As part of Welcoming Week we would like you to reflect on 'welcoming' and 'belonging' for all, no matter where one comes from. Please share your words as it relates to this year's theme “Where We Belong”. All submissions should be sent via email to no later than September 9th. The reading of the poem will be during the Welcoming Festival on September 18th from 1 to 4pm at the Farmers Market Square in Blacksburg. Thanks to Blacksburg Books for their partnership in this activity. Youth Art Exhibition and Competition Art is everywhere and can be a prominent aspect of our lives. The youth art exhibition and competition’s theme, “Welcoming and Belonging,” ties into “Welcoming Week” by promoting positivity and diversity in our community. We hope that this exhibition will display appreciation and kind regard to everyone in our community, no matter where they are from. We wanted to give the opportunity for creative youth to submit artwork demonstrating their enjoyment and talent in the activity. All school aged children are welcome to participate. DETAILS HERE. You can visit the art exhibition at the Montgomery-Floyd Regional Library-Blacksburg Library starting September 15. Thank you to the MFRL-Blacksburg Library for partnering with us. Winners of the competition will announced during the Welcoming Festival on September 18. YMCA Welcome Tour New to town? You are invited to join a special welcome tour of the Y Center to learn about all that we offer. Please sign up here to join the tour on Saturday, September 17 at the Y Center, 1000 North Main Street. At the end of the tour you will be able to visit the travelling exhibit titled New Virginians that the Y is hosting in observance of Citizenship Day. The exhibit explores the historical and continuous journey towards the ideals of America. It includes a series of edited interviews conducted with first-generation immigrants and refugees who arrived in Virginia post-1976. The New Virginians project is a collaboration between the Library of Virginia and Virginia Humanities, with support from 2019 Commemoration, American Evolution, which names New Virginians a Legacy Project. Space is limited on the tour so in order to participate in the tour you must pre-register on our website: Welcoming Festival Sunday, September 18, 2022, 1pm-4pm at Market Square Park in downtown Blacksburg. A celebration featuring entertainment, food, vendors and family fun! In case of severe weather the event might be canceled. Please check our website updates.