Lisa Ondejko Calder (left) and Eileen Hopkins (right) have taken on fundraising for the Osoyoos refugee project. Behind are volunteers Mary and Frank Halpin. They had a table set up at Buy-Low Foods on Friday and Saturday, shown here, and another at AG Foods. They plan to do it again next weekend. (Richard McGuire photo)
A fundraising campaign for the Osoyoos Refugee Project has kicked off with a letter appealing to 100 people to donate $100.
Michael Ryan, a former Town of Osoyoos councillor, and his wife Vera, both organizers of the refugee project, appeared before town council Monday to outline details of the campaign titled: “One Hundred People Who Care and Can Share.”
Meanwhile, two women who have taken on the role of fundraising co-chairs, Eileen Hopkins and Lisa Ondejko Calder, have been setting up tables at local grocery stores and other locations to share information about the project and collect donations.
They are coming up with other ideas including a possible pub night, silent auction, a bottle drive and “giftless gifts,” in which people make a donation instead of giving a holiday gift and give the recipient a card telling them of the donation.
The refugee project started in September when the Ryans were moved by television images of suffering Syrian refugees.
They obtained support from St. Anne’s Catholic Parish and organized it through the church, while stressing that it is a project for the wider community.
The goal was to sponsor a refugee family to come to Osoyoos and to help them get settled.
Early this month, they identified a family of a husband, wife, girl aged eight and boy aged five, who are currently in a United Nations refugee camp in Lebanon after fleeing war-torn Syria.
In the appeal letter, the Osoyoos Refugee Project Committee points to the safe and secure lives that Canadians lead.
“Chances are you did not check once over your shoulder for a sniper or step around rubble on the street that used to be your child’s school,” the letter says.
It also points out that over the past four years, 12 million people in Syria have fled their homes because of the conflict and half are children.
The 100 people receiving the letter are ones the committee believes can afford to donate, but those who can’t afford to give the full $100 can give less. And those who can afford it, can give more.
The committee is also encouraging people receiving the letter to pass it on to others they think might donate.
The letter doesn’t go into detail about the Syrian crisis, instead briefly describing the committee’s goals in helping the family to get established.
The Syrian government under dictator Bashar al-Assad is responsible for most of the civilian deaths, now approaching half a million, and has used deadly chemicals against its own people.
Increasingly though, the Islamist militant group ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria) has gained control over large areas and committed repeated atrocities against civilians.
The committee is aiming to raise $30,000 to help cover costs of transporting the family to Osoyoos and providing them with living and settlement expenses for one year.
And it wants to surround them with support and care as they learn to integrate into a new culture and home.
The Ryans said they’ve already received offers from members of the community ranging from chiropractic services, to carpentry and an offer to make a quilt.
Hopkins and Ondejko Calder set up tables at Buy-Low and AG Foods on Friday and Saturday and they plan to do it again this weekend. Ondejko Calder also had a table on Sunday at the Royal Purple Craft Fair and the two plan to do tables at other events and locations.
Already the committee has raised more than $8,000, they said.
Ondejko Calder said she got involved with the project because she worked as a social worker for 15 years in Toronto and had the opportunity to work with many immigrant and refugee families who were new to Canada.
“I know that they often have a lot of needs when they get here,” she said. “I have a lot of compassion for their situation and felt that this was something I would be able to do to lend a hand in this community.”
Hopkins said when she saw information on Facebook and in the news about the Syrian situation and the number of people involved, she initially was frustrated. She also was disturbed by the negative connotations some people make about the refugees, she said.
“I thought if I want to speak out and step up to the plate, how can I do that?” she said. “Then I heard about this project. That opened the door to me to say at least I can help one family.”
She was also influenced by the fact that her husband, Raouf Garram, is originally from Tunisia and Arabic is his first language.
Although there are differences between the cultures of Syria and Tunisia, they hope that with the common language, he will be able to assist the family with language challenges.
The Ryans said they’re grateful for his help and noted that there are several other Arabic speaking people in the community.
They also hope that Syrian families sponsored to come to Oliver and Summerland will be able to make friendships with the Osoyoos family.
Committee members acknowledge that not everyone in the community supports the project, with some people insisting the refugees should stay in Syria and others pointing out that Canada has its own problems of poverty and unemployment.
“If we had to solve all our problems before we did anything abroad or outside our community, we would never get outside our community,” said Michael. “The resources here far exceed the resources elsewhere.”
Those wishing to donate can drop off donations at the Osoyoos Times office. Cheques should be made out to St. Anne’s Catholic Parish with Refugee Project written on the memo line. They can also be mailed to the parish at P.O. Box 242, Osoyoos, BC V0H 1V0. Donations through the church are considered charitable donations for tax purposes.
Michael and Vera Ryan can be contacted at 250-495-6960 or at [email protected].
RICHARD McGUIRE
Osoyoos Times
