St. Albert, the Community Refugee Committee of St. Albert (CRCSA) thanks you from the bottom of our hearts. We are very happy to acknowledge the solid support we received from the various citizens, businesses and service clubs of St. Albert for the unique opportunity to offer a young Syrian family a way to not only survive but to better their lives in Canada.
We thank you on behalf of this one Syrian family who are no longer considered refugees because they are safe in Canada and have been here for one year. The formal sponsorship of this family ended after the one year of sponsorship. Currently, the young father is attending English language school and is seeking part-time labour work. His wife is at home caring for their three young children.
St. Albert, we trust you have felt the exhilaration of participating in such a worthy endeavour. One day in mid-January 2015, a thoughtful discussion was held with 23 people who were inspired, even compelled, through world events and their own comfortable situations, to do what they could to improve someone’s lot in life. Over time, they decided they would like to explore a way for their community to sponsor a refugee or a family of refugees. From that initial meeting, a core partnership was formed including a variety of members from the St. Albert community; the St. Albert Host Lions Club; and members of St. Albert United Church.
A Blended Visa Office Referral (BVOR) type of sponsorship was the culmination of a three-way partnership with the Government of Canada; St. Albert United Church as the Sponsorship Agreement Holder; and the concerned citizen members of the CRCSA. The partnership resulted in the successful settlement of a family of four from Syria who arrived in July 2018. The CRCSA team put hearts, minds, and energies these past three-plus years into raising money and settling a family with the help of the community of St. Albert.
Helen Arnott, St. Albert
