INNISFAIL – Innisfail’s second Syrian refugee family has arrived with a third expected later this year.
The new family of five, including a girl and two boys, arrived in Innisfail on Dec. 16.
"It was roughly a two-year process (to bring the family to Innisfail),” said Pastor Andrew Rilling of the Innisfail Alliance Church. "They live in Innisfail but the children go to school in Red Deer.
"We’re very pleased with how things have gone so far. They’re a wonderful family,” he added.
The first Syrian refugee family, sponsored by Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church, has since moved to Red Deer and no longer lives in town.
Meanwhile, the Welcoming Communities Committee is still awaiting approval for its single-parent family, Duaa Mohammad Alhariri and her two young sons, Hadi and Omar.
Jill Pedersen, a member of the Welcoming Communities Committee, said the local organization has been continuing its efforts to plan and fundraise for the family.
"We meet at least every two months and sometimes if we’re planning an event we meet every month,” said Pedersen. "We had a booth at the town’s Canada 150 celebration last summer and that was a really successful fundraiser for us.”
Pedersen noted the committee has held several fundraisers in the past two years and has now raised enough to sponsor and support its family of three for at least one year.
"We are sitting around $28,000 right now,” she said, noting the minimum amount required to sponsor a refugee family. "We’ve met that threshold but we feel that we’ll need more so we are continuing to fundraise.”
Pastor Andrew Rilling, Innisfail Alliance Church
"We're very pleased with how things have gone so far. They're a wonderful family."
