As Canadians prepare to welcome Syrian refugee families, several individuals and organizations in the Innisfail and Red Deer area are doing the same.
St. Marguerite Bourgeoys Catholic School in Innisfail is stepping up to help Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church with their private sponsorship of a Syrian refugee family.
“We are supporting our parish, Our Lady of Peace, in providing funds through money collected from our jeans days during the last week of school prior to Christmas holidays,” said Shane Chisholm, principal at St. Marguerite Bourgeoys School.
“Like the rest of the schools in Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools, we are preparing to welcome our Syrian refugee families with support and professional development to our staff from our inclusive education department.
“As a Catholic community in Innisfail, we will be evaluating the needs of this family after Christmas and supporting them along the way until their arrival here in Innisfail and in our school community,” he added.
Alberta is one of several provinces that will welcome Syrian refugees this year. The cities of Edmonton, Calgary, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat and Red Deer are all planning for the influx of refugees, expected in the coming weeks.
The prospective Syrian refugee family for Innisfail that Our Lady of Peace is sponsoring includes a mother, father and two children – a six-year-old girl and a one-year-old boy. They are currently living in a refugee camp in Lebanon. It is not known when the family will arrive.
The Central Alberta Refugee Effort (C.A.R.E) is working with Catholic Social Services and the Central Alberta Immigrant Women's Association to help settle Syrian refugee families in Red Deer in the coming weeks.
They too will assist Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools.
“Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools is working with us in getting themselves ready for any refugees that are joining their school system,” said Avery Acheson, intake and settlement manager with C.A.R.E. “There's going to be an information session on the evening (Dec. 8) and there's going to be representatives from both Catholic Social Services and C.A.R.E.”
An information session on refugee resettlement and the school division's plan of support will be held at St. Thomas Aquinas Middle School in Red Deer on Dec. 8 from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m.
For more information, visit http://rdcrs.ca/parents/whats-new/post/incoming-syrian-refugees
Shane Chisholm
"As a Catholic community in Innisfail, we will be evaluating the needs of this family after Christmas and supporting them along the way until their arrival here in Innisfail and in our school community."
