Interfaith groups respond to Syrian refugee crisis : The Auroran : http://www.newspapers-online.com/auroran

This page was exported from The Auroran [ http://www.newspapers-online.com/auroran ]
Export date: Fri Nov 14 14:42:15 2025 / +0000 GMT

Interfaith groups respond to Syrian refugee crisis

By Brock Weir

Area churches and representatives from the area Muslim community are combining forces for a joint response to the Syrian refugee crisis.

Aurora United Church, Trinity Anglican Church and members of the Newmarket Islamic Centre announced the framework of their interfaith response to sponsor a refugee family late last week. Members of the public are invited to come out to hear more about the initiative at Trinity Anglican Church on Sunday, September 20.

The two local churches have been working on a joint project to sponsor a family for six months, well before the latest crisis, entered the public consciousness once again, but the local Muslim community recently received word of their efforts and have joined their efforts.
Helping extend the connections out to the Muslim community is Mae Khamissa.

Together, the groups hope they can be stronger as one in making a difference in the lives of one refugee family.

“The tragic plight of so many desperate people has finally caught the world's attention, but it has been in the making for the past four years,” said the group in a statement. “Around the world, the UN High Commission for Refugees estimates there are 60 million forcibly displaced people, including 20 million refugees.

“Aurora's interfaith team would be responsible for funding a family for a year, including accommodation, food, clothing, ESL training and resources to help the family transition to life in Canada.”

Meeting this target for just one year, they say, is important to discourage any sort of “co-dependency” and encourage the family finding their feet within the community. Through this kind of sponsorship, the Refugee family will be settled in the Aurora and Newmarket area, but there is a lot of work that needs to be done before this can become a reality.

First and foremost is the issue finding affordable housing, which is currently at a premium in York Region. The group says they plan to work with local real estate agents on options, all contingent on raising money throughout the community.

They hope to raise up to $40,000 for the initiative.

Above and beyond a monetary donation, there are other ways in which the community can help, including xproviding ESL services, babysitting so adults in the sponsored family can get out and look for work, and partnering with local businesses and chambers of commerce to find employment opportunities within the community.

This Sunday, Ian McBride, Executive Director of AURA – the Anglican United Refugee Alliance, a no-profit agency responsible for helping communities sponsor refugees – will be on hand for both the United and Anglican services at 8 a.m., 9.15 a.m., and 11 a.m. to provide more information on how to get involved. All are welcome to attend.

Excerpt: Area churches and representatives from the area Muslim community are combining forces for a joint response to the Syrian refugee crisis.

Post date: 2015-09-16 08:27:44
Post date GMT: 2015-09-16 12:27:44
Post modified date: 2015-09-16 08:27:44
Post modified date GMT: 2015-09-16 12:27:44