As featured in the March CCRA Newsletter

Dear Friends

Our road toward refugee sponsorship has taken an interesting turn. As we continue to raise funds and await our opportunity to be matched with refugees in need of support, we were asked by the Anglican United Refugee Alliance (AURA) to help out in a case of urgent need.

We are pleased to announce that Port Union Cares (PUC) has taken over the sponsorship of a Syrian family of four who arrived in Canada via Lebanon last May. Sadly, the parents and their two children received insufficient support from their original sponsors. With no one to meet them at the airport, the family started their journey in Canada on their own.  Moving from temporary housing in a small basement where they slept on the floor to a permanent residence in Scarborough, this family has been able to get by with few resources. Now their needs are great.

When we received details about the family from AURA, our Sponsorship Agreement Holder, we couldn’t refuse the call to help. In this unusual case of neglect, the responsibility of sponsorship has been taken on by PUC. We will be helping the family with their resettlement needs, including the provision of financial support for the remainder of their first year in Canada.

To protect their privacy, we can’t share the names or pictures of our family, but we can tell you that they are generous, gracious, loving people. They are determined to forge their own path: with minimum proficiency in English, they were able to enrol their children in school and themselves in English language classes, find permanent accommodation, and provide for the necessities using the little means available to them. We are indeed grateful to have met them on their path and to be able to offer them the sort of support that will help to ensure their future success.

In the meantime, our fundraising efforts continue, both to support this family and others in need of sponsorship. With the help of our great community, we are sure we can reach our goals! We are able to offer tax receipts for donations over $20 for all methods of payment – please contact us at portunioncares@gmail.com to exchange the details needed to issue receipts. Thank you for your support!

Keep your eye on the CCRA News for updates on our progress and information about upcoming fundraising events. Together we can make a difference!