What's going on in Uusikaupunki

10 Torstaina 7. maaliskuuta 2019 Finding a place for you and your family UUSIKAUPUNKI Granger T. Simmons – I was going to be a car- penter, but it didn’t go that way, says Lea Myllymäki, one of the social advisers for the City of Uusikaupunki. Lea had been educat- ing herself to work with her hands, and was on a career path that would lead to build- ing up, tearing down and putting things back together. However, she had a realiza- tion which caused her to be- gin working with her heart. – I began to fall in love with working to educate and assist mentally disabled chil- dren and people in general. It was so different than all the other work that I have done. This type of work is joy-filled, and very important, shares Myllymäki. FOLLOWING her heart, Lea’s journey lead her to become a nurse, a teacher and a social worker. She started her work as a social adviser in May of 2018 and has been helping Uusikaupunki residents and newcomers find comfort, support, stability and reso- lution when times are tough. Mrs. Myllymäki and her family have lived in many different places and she has hadher share of experiencing integration into the Uusikau- punki culture and commu- nity. – It hasn’t been as easy as onewould think even though I am a Finn. The truth is, even Finnish people have to make themselves known, you have to throw yourself into the community. If you want tomake a connection here in Uusikaupunki or anywhere in Finland, youmust take the first step towards your own integration, Lea encourages. SHE EMPHASIZES that in the Finnish culture it is im- portant to be bold and cou- rageous enough to find your place in the community even though it may be difficult. Giving information about how things work, and where things are, is a big part of the daily tasks of a social Ad- viser. A strong teamof experts work hard to find solutions to the problems that new and pre-existing residents of Uusikaupunki are facing on a daily basis. – There is a lot of paper- work involved, and there are times when we cannot help becausewe donot have every service in our office, but we also try and connect people with the right person or orga- nization, so that they can get the services that they need, Myllymäki explains. A NETWORK of supporting offices and service providers has been constructed in or- der to provide solutions that extend beyond the office of social services. This network handles issues ranging from help for those whose family member may have an eating disorder, to counseling and support for families going through a divorce. There is also coaching and assistance with simple things such as budgeting for rent, groceries and utilities as well as various relief efforts during crisis situations. RESERVE some support time to talk with Lea Myllymäki to assess you and your fam- ily’s situation. All consulta- tions are free of charge and completely confidential. If you or your family members are experiencing a difficult time, don’t wait for it to get unbearable, reach out for help. Contact: lea.myllymaki@ uusikaupunki.fi Weekend fun for kids? Granger T. Simmons A big question for Uusikaupunki families with children is un- doubtedly ”Is there anything fun to do with kids during the week- end?” Thoughts begin to roll about where to go, how to get there, how much it will cost, how long the ride will be, and so on. Most people take their family to bigger cities like Turku or Helsinki, while others try to find local things to do like play dates, trips to the park, or long walks to tire the kids out. For those of you who under- stand this crisis, a solution has fi- nally arrived! –We used to travel to Turku to HopLop and other places in order to give the kids something to do during theweekends, recalls Mikko Jalonen , retired Korihait star player and husband of Ellinoora Jalonen . ELLINOORA’S family owns the sports center Urheilukeskus, which features rentable space for things like tennis, badminton, floorball, basketball, track & field and it also has two fully equipped weightlift- ing rooms. Urheilukeskus also offers other cool things like virtual personal training, spinning, pilates, dance classes, amen’s weightlifting group as well as a boxing club. One day while the family and board members were brainstorm- ing, a new idea arose to develop an indoor play park for children. The model for the indoor play park comes from an indoor soccer field in Rauma called Iirolandia. During the weekends, the field is turned into a huge play area with various activities and games for kids. The Salin and Jalonen fam- ilies created a special place that could bring some joy to the fami- lies of Uusikaupunki called Urkkis kids play park. URKKIS is open every Saturday from 10am–2pm and is geared to- ward families with children of ten years and younger.The indoor chil- dren’s play park features a bouncy house, climbing wall, gymnas- tic mats, floor ball and basketball, racing bikes, air hockey, darts, ping pong (table tennis) andmore.There is a small entrance fee but the chil- dren under one year old get in for free. For this minimal entrance fee, your family can enjoy four hours of fun and excitement while partici- pating in all the various activities offered by Urheilukeskus. Urkkis is also available for birthday parties and events at a reasonable price. MIKKO and Ellinoora have three sons of their own, and prior to Urk- kis, it had been a challenge to find fun things to do locally for thewhole family. Now they have created their own solution, and your family can join the fun! –This is not a business for us, it is a service for the families, saysMikko enthusiastically. Opening words: Focus on the Family Welcome to the family edition of ”What’s going on in Uusikaupunki.” In today’s articles we will focus on families and offer you a few different solutions for finding fun, support and information while living in the greater Uusikaupunki area. Yes, that is correct, greater Uusikaupunki. It is greater because of what you and your family bring to this city; diver- sity, fresh perspectives, new ideas, vibrance, laughter, joy, love and new opportunities. Today we will intro- duce to you Lea Myl- lymäki who spends her time helping families and individuals to nav- igate through crisis sit- uations as well as every day matters. You will also read about the Jalonen and Salin families, who are making Uusikau- punki greater by offering a service that makes life a bit easier – and definitely more fun – for families. Enjoy! Granger T Simmons Urkkis is a place to have fun on weekends. PÄIVI SAPPINEN Lea Myllymäki works as a social adviser. RIKU RANTANEN Mistä on kyse? Uudenkaupungin Sano- mat julkaisee kuukau- sittain Granger Sim- monsin tekemänWhat’s going on -osion. Sivus- tolla kerrotaan kaupun- kiin muuttaneille kau- pungin kuulumisia ja toisaalta tuodaan muu- alta tulleiden kuulumi- set kaupunkilaisten tie- touteen. Tällä kertaa Simmons on haastatellut kaupun- gin sosiaaliohjaaja Lea Myllymäkeä , joka ker- too työstään muun mu- assa kaupunkiinmuutta- neiden parissa. Toisessa jutussa vasta- taan kysymykseen, mitä tehdä lasten kanssa vii- konloppuisin. Mikko ja Ellinoora Jalonen ker- tovat Urkkiksesta, jossa lapset voivat harrastaa monenlaista mukavaa lauantaisin. W H A T , S G O I N G O N I N U U S I K AU P U N K I ?