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'Welcome event' planned for new Tucson residents

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All those new to the Old Pueblo are invited to a free citywide "Welcome to Tucson" event Saturday morning.

The first-ever event will be held at the university-area Trinity Presbyterian Church, 400 E. University Blvd. from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

"I'm hoping people will see that even though Tucson's a big city we do still maintain a small-town feel," said Lori Boston, president of the West University Neighborhood Association.

Jim Turner of the Arizona Historical Society will kick off the event, which will include resources on everything from volunteer opportunities to kids' activities. Seven workshops will be repeated three times during the morning.

Among the scheduled workshop topics are higher education, living in the desert, border issues, Downtown redevelopment and faith and contemporary culture.

"We have no idea how many people to expect, but I'd love to see 200 to 300 people there," said the Rev. Dave Wasserman of Trinity Presbyterian Church. "We've got about 50 volunteers working. We hope that we're modeling a welcome that builds community and neighborly relations. We're trying to rebuild the infrastructure of our society — we do too much 'bowling alone' and only connect when we're in a crisis."

Wasserman emphasized that the event is not religious.

A free lunch will be served to all attendees.

Free child care is available by reservation by calling 623-2579.

In addition to Trinity Presbyterian and the neighborhood association, other sponsors of the event are the Downtown Tucson Partnership, the Fourth Avenue Merchants' Association, the Marshall Foundation and the community relations departments of the University of Arizona and Pima Community College.