Perhekerho (Family Club) 

This past year several parents have come to me with thankful hearts and words of gratitude about the Perhekerho. Some of them didn’t actually have any connections to the Finnish community before having kids. They just didn’t feel the need to seek it until it came to raise their own babies. It’s funny how that happens: when one has their own children, they start to evaluate what is most important to them about raising a good person, with a strong sense of self. In many cases, it means returning to your roots, whether you’ve left them or put them on pause for many years or only for a short while. Coming to Kerho has helped us raise our kids together, as a village, with a strong sense of pride in our Finnish heritage.

The program itself has continued in the same manner as in previous years. A theme is chosen for each week and then I lead the group in songs, stories, games and activities. Then we have a potluck lunch together and parents are welcome to continue socializing and the little ones have time to play together.

At the end of last summer we worked with volunteers from Agricola church to spruce up our meeting space, we reviewed our collection of toys and purchased a couple of toy storage units and added some new décor to create a room for our little ones (and their parents!) to enjoy for years to come.

Welcome to Perhekerho Tuesdays 10:30 am to 1:30 pm (Sept. to June)!  Jenny Haapoja