Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride I rise today in the House to talk about an opening that will be happening in Kitchener Centre. This weekend the A. R. Kaufman family YMCA will be having a ribbon cutting ceremony at the grand reopening of its facility.
The YMCA has had a presence in Kitchener since 1895. It started out with recreational facilities as well as housing for soldiers during the second world war. Currently they are in partnership with the federal government providing day care, services to new Canadians as well as youth employment strategy programs. The YMCA is a sterling example of a community choosing the projects that it wants to make its place a caring and safe community.
I am very proud to have had a lifelong membership with the YMCA and I look forward to its reopening this Saturday.