'Make sure they feel at home': Free skate giveaway helps new Calgarians

Staff at Calgary's Centre for Newcomers are grateful for a generous donation of ice skates from the Olympic Oval. They say the equipment will help clients integrate into Canadian society.

Hundreds of pairs of skates are now in the hands of some of the newest Calgary families as part of a campaign from Calgary's Olympic Oval.

Thanks to the facility, more than 200 pairs were collected and are now being distributed to new immigrants.

Shabana Shahzad with the Centre for Newcomers says the initiative came from a desire to integrate immigrant families into Canadian culture.

"They are excited because they are planning to learn skating," she said. "Because it's a Canadian sport and they are all excited to learn a new sport this winter."

The plan is to distribute one pair per family, Shahzad says, and it's part of the mission the Centre of Newcomers has to help their clients feel at home in Calgary.

"(So) they don't feel left out of any of the activities, which Canadians do especially in winter.

"We want to make sure they feel at home here."

You can learn more about the Centre for Newcomers online.