They’re ready and waiting, with open hearts.
St. Matthew Parish in Rocky Mountain House is one of at least two Central Alberta churches that is privately sponsoring Syrian refugees.
Unlike government-sponsored refugees, private sponsors must cover all the costs for one year, including housing, food and clothing, as well as support them in other ways such as introducing them to Canadian life.
Parishioner Annette Valstar said Thursday that her church decided to sponsor a Syrian couple over a year ago, long before the federal government moved to step up Syrian refugee re-settlement in Canada. An article about other Syrian refugees had caught the church’s attention.
“A mom and a dad and their kids, we can relate to how it must feel to be roused in the middle of the night or running scared for your life so much so that you don’t have time to bring anything with you,” Valstar said.
She is a member of the church’s committee involved with bringing the young couple to Rocky. The married couple, who have no children, have been living in a refugee camp in Lebanon for three years. They are from the Aleppo area of northern Syria.
Their first names are Nada and Hannah, ages 27 and 28, and they recently had an interview with staff from the Canadian embassy. Now they just need to have medicals and background checks, said Valstar.
The church does not know when the college-educated couple will arrive but the paperwork is all done. “We could be told they could be coming any time. We could be told tonight. We could have a phone call saying they are arriving tomorrow. That’s how quick it can be.”
“We’re prepared for them,” she said. Temporary accommodation has been lined up until the couple can get their own place.
The church has raised $22,000 of its $26,000 goal. People who don’t even belong to the parish have been making donations because they support the idea, Valstar said.
Our Lady of Peace Church in Innisfail parishioner Virginia Ritson-Bennett said her church is sponsoring a family that includes a couple in their 30s, their six-year-old daughter and one-year-old son. They are also in a refugee camp in Lebanon.
Because they aren’t part of the first wave of refugees expected in Canada by the end of the month, they are not sure when the family will arrive. The required paperwork by the church and refugee family is still underway.
They just started the sponsorship process in October and are about to kick off their fundraising campaign this month — hoping to raise a minimum of $20,000. They have already received some generous donations. The family isn’t expected until March or April, she said.
Obtaining housing for the refugees is their biggest concern because in a smaller community like Innisfail there isn’t a lot of choice, Ritson-Bennett.
“I have no doubt in my mind that we are doing the right thing. We were told all you need is a bunch of people with a big heart. So there you go. The money will come.”
barr@www.reddeeradvocate.com