Alison Podmorow’s Link Crew class at Southern Okanagan Secondary School raised money (by recycling bottles) to buy two booster seats for the Al Lwisi family.
Photo contributed
As you’ve likely heard, a group of volunteers have been working since June to bring a Syrian refugee family to our town. About a month ago, the Oliver Refugee Sponsorship Committee was matched with the Al Lwisi family: a 32-year-old dad, 28-year- old mom, seven-year-old son and four- and two-year-old daughters who have been living in a refugee camp in Beirut for at least two years.
As of this week, the Al Lwisis have officially been deemed travel ready: they have all of their pre-travel requirements and paperwork complete and the Canadian government has issued them travel visas. Now, the Oliver Refugee Sponsorship Committee is just waiting to receive word of their arrival date.
The committee is in the final stages of furnishing a house for the Al Lwisis, and are completing the 1001 other tasks required to help welcome, settle and support them. Interested in getting involved? Here’s how:
The Al Lwisis will be leaving everyone and everything they know. Though Canada represents safety for them, the transition to a new country, new culture, new language, new everything will undoubtedly be difficult. If you would like to volunteer to help socially and physically support them over the coming months, contact Brita Park at 250-498-8889 or [email protected]. Tasks will include everything from driving them to appointments, to helping them navigate shopping, to coordinating paperwork, to socializing over tea, etc.
Many Oliverites have so generously donated household items, clothing, and toys to help furnish the Al Lwisi’s home and welcome the family. The house is now fully furnished and any additional donations required will be advertised in the future.
The Al Lwisis are coming to Canada via a blended sponsorship, which means the committee will contribute financial support for the family’s first 12 months here (budgeted at $2,000/month), augmented by some financial support from the federal government for six of those months.
Surprisingly, the committee just learned that a Syrian refugee family in Summerland recently received an invoice from the federal government, requiring them to repay their travel costs in the amount of about $6,000, plus interest, accruing until it is paid off. This will likely be demanded of our family as well, which effectively adds to our fundraising requirements.
To date, the Oliver Refugee Sponsorship Committee has already raised approximately $14,000 from the community, putting it about half way to the goal of $30,000.
Because the Oliver Refugee Sponsorship Committee does not have official charitable group status, several local churches have generously agreed to accept donations from their parishioners on the committee’s behalf, issue tax receipts to the donors, and then pass all of the donated funds on to the committee. Cheques may be written to any of the following churches (with Oliver Refugee Committee in the cheque’s memo line). All funds donated will be forwarded in their entirety to this project:
Christ the King Catholic Church, Oliver
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Osoyoos
St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Oliver
The Life Church
Oliver United Church
For convenience, cheques made out to the above organizations can also be dropped off at Beyond Bliss in downtown Oliver. If you are not a part of any of these churches but still want to donate, please send your cheque to Christ the King (Box 130, Oliver BC, V0H 1T0). To donate online via Paypal, visit www.ctkoliver.org/refugees and click on the “donate online” button.
“Our seven-year-old daughter asked us why we wanted to be part of this. We answered, “Because we can, and we hope that if we were ever in an awful situation, people who ‘can’ would choose to for us,” said Benita Baerg, an enthusiastic supporter of the sponsorship project. “Obviously, we can’t solve a humanitarian crisis facing 12 million Syrians, but we can make a very big difference to one Syrian family of five.”
Dale Dodge, a member of the committee, said a family in need is a family in need. “Their skin colour does not matter, nor does their religion. They are human beings in a bad situation and we have the ability to help, so we should.”
Fundraising is important. Also important are volunteers for driving the family to appointments, accompanying them on grocery shopping trips, connecting them to children’s activities available in town, and spending time in conversation to boost English second language learning.
“This family has suffered in many ways: witnessing violence, torture, and all the privations that come from being displaced from their home for over two years. They will require drivers, cultural tutors, children’s playmates, and friends,” said supporter Penelope Johnson.
Contributed
