Update - Syrian Refugees Play and Practice English at the U of LOn Sunday May 15th, volunteer activities will wrap up that have had roughly 50 Syrian refugees playing and practicing English at the University. Since mid-March, a dedicated group of volunteers organized events for 40-60 Syrians in space donated by Sport and Recreation Services. While older kids played soccer, younger kids were entertained with a whole bunch of different activities from colouring to parachute-play. Keeping 30 or so kids busy was essential to give their parents time to practice their English in small groups with many UofL students, staff, alumni and community members. Update - Student Refugee Initiative (February 29, 2016)Our students have formed a club under World University Service Canada (WUSC) and they are fundraising now to bring a student refugee to campus a in Fall 2016. WUSC has worked to bring refugee students to universities and colleges in Canada for almost 40 years. For more information on the program see: http://wusc.ca/en/srp Update - February 8, 2016Thanks to the amazing generosity of the University of Lethbridge community, we’ve been able to sponsor a family of four Syrian refugees, who arrived in Lethbridge on February 7. Link to Donation FormUpdate - November 16, 2015The UofL Refugee Action Committee submitted the papers to begin the process of bringing a Syrian refugee family of four, with an 8 year old boy and 7 year old girl, to Lethbridge. To date, we're over halfway to our goal of $35,000. Our October winner of a $100 gift certificate from the UofL bookstore was Valerie Richardson, in Faculty of Fine Arts. Link to Donation Form
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About the U of L Refugee Action CommitteeThe University of Lethbridge Refugee Action Committee is a volunteer group of the University community formed to sponsor a refugee family to come to Canada and settle in Lethbridge. There is a desperate humanitarian crisis taking place as millions continue to flee Syria. To be able to come to Canada, refugees need private sponsorship. The Canadian government estimates that it will take about $30,000 to support a family for one year. In addition to the financial contribution, the initiative also requires ongoing contact and support for the family for at least the first year. To leverage existing expertise in the community, we are joining with other community partners who have already begun the processing of bringing Syrian families to Canada. “From Syria to Lethbridge” is an umbrella group that will work with ecumenical and community groups such as ours to sponsor additional families. It already has established a relationship with the Mennonite Central Committee, which is a government-approved “Sponsorship Agreement Holder.”
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The UofL Refugee Action Committee will partner with the University Chaplain, Erin Phillips and her church, the Anglican Church of the Ascension, which welcomes non-denominational community partners. Moreover, they are able to issue tax receipts for donations. We will work together with the larger “From Syria to Lethbridge” group. The aim of these coalitions is to create a community of support. Because of the broad nature of this community support, the Mennonite Central Committee has made Lethbridge a priority centre.
A benefit of this initiative is that 100% of funds donated will go directly to settling refugee families in this community.
If you would like to contribute financially, or in other ways (such as fundraising, donating required goods, helping settle the family once they’ve arrived, or in other ways), please either complete the Donation Form (PDF), or for more information, talk to anyone on the committee, or email Anne Dymond at anne.dymond@uleth.ca
Refugee Action Committee: Robin Bright, James Dobbie, Anne Dymond, Becky Lore, Luis Escobar, Claudia Gonzalez, Jean Harrowing, David Logue, Jamie MacKenzie, and Erin Phillips.