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F: moitincemmeinrer w ' DAUVIb _ Lkmpnek Pistorm â€" CpsTeciOr cuuney for the family. t j In the beginning there were some struggles. : :‘ The family members‘ English waslimited and ! the closest class was in Peterborough. Volunâ€" ‘ F36 se teers drove the parents to class everyday and â€" 6 M another roster of volunteers picked up the 3 children from school. & 7 Because they had limited access to health >: care before coming to Canada, health issucs cropped up. Both parents had extreme pain: f in theirteeth. T : a Canadian. traditions such as Halloween: x f were foreign to the family. ; i "Our culture was strange to them," said Ms, : | Chalovich. [ Crie The family decided to move to London in e [ S August 2015, where they had more support \ and a mosque to attend. l _ At least one local resident has a direct conâ€" nection to Syria. Cobourg resident Abeer X ) | Alâ€"Salihi left Syria long before theâ€"violence c3 s & erupted. She married a man from Iraq and e e o W O _ lived in United Arab Emirates. They moved to ko 54 Em LB} 4 â€" e Cobourg a little over a year ago with their two A F4 suBl & 2% children. Ms. Alâ€"Salihi said she is happy that y § * H 2 Northumberland is helping Syrian refugees i Karen Longv;vell / Northumberland News ax}r;l';m\zfllir;ffaerg:(l’% chance for families" she COBOURG â€" Joan Chalovich and Reverend David Lander, of the Syrian Sponsorship Group, offered advice for new groups at the said! "They need a safe place to start a i Sl .?eéfifmofinumbefland County Immigration and Diversity Forum. I\) oRTH u 6earaunD Jé us N 0V j9) )s~ S _ gain. RMrrml , i y M ' HOW THIS IMPACTS YOU: Syrian refugee crisis sparks wave of Nothinberiand Counyy council commit > P R a2 ted to a $10,000 grant to Better Together ap y f | Ti j Refugee Sponsorship. sponsorship groups in Northumberland *=**........ ¢ - j Agency and government of Turkey had regâ€" ¢> e > 7 istered 4,180,631 Syrian refugees. Local churches, residents helping refugees find a new home in Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has made a > 5 commitment to resettle 25,000 Syrian refuâ€" Karen Longwell . s . _ traditional parentâ€"child families. gees by Jan. 1. klongwell@northumberiandnews.com ‘ ‘ Tam a trusting "We know that there are roughly one milâ€" 3 s § Teafeinp person. Really these : “02;;(}“1::5“;5‘;5355:9“”39“ the ages of 18 . STEPS TO SPONSORING NORTHUMBERLAND â€"â€" The attacks in Paris > } : _ and 55, Ms. Aldis said. + haven‘t deterred local groups working to are women just like, i The group hopes to raise about $45,000. A REFUGEE FAMILY: bring Syrian refugees to Northumberland. yOUu and ME: | _ Gurrently they are inviting Northamberland The refugee crisis in Syria first caught Julie Aldis of : _ residents to buy a membership for a miniâ€" « Form a core group of five committed Cobourg resident Gloria Peters Matthies Northumberland :. mum of $50 to become part of the group. people per family sponsored. The group is attention more than a year ago. She was readâ€" Syrian Lifeline : Knowing firsthand what is involved in â€" responsible for overseeing the entire proâ€" ing an article in her church magazine about bringing Syrian refugees to Northumberland, _ cess including the settlement plan, getâ€" sponsoring a refugee family, Joan Chalovich and Reverend David Landâ€" . ting volunteers for specific tasks, decisionâ€" \ "Thatjust leapt off the page, she said. with and fleeing from for years." er of the Syrian Sponsorship Group, offered _ making, and choosing the refugee family She went to her pastor at The Allfance _ The newly formed Northumberland ‘Syrian _ advice for the new groups at the recent Norâ€" from the profiles. Church and later learned two congregants . Lifeline, led by real estate broker Julie Aldis, â€" thumberland County Immigration and + Sign an agreement with a Sponsorship from two other churches approached their â€" also remains committed and hasn‘t seen a Diversity Forum in Cobourg. Agreement Holder, an organization which pastors atthe same time. change in support for the cause: The Syrian Sponsorship Group began out . is incorporated (a legally created organizaâ€" ‘ Before long three more churches were "Pundraising is going well," she said. of the two United Churches in Grafton and _ tion) and has signed a sponsorship agreeâ€" involved and at last count eight churches _ The attacks in Beirut and Paris have Ms. _ Castleton in May 2014. The two church conâ€" _ ment with the Minister of Citizenship and ‘have banded together in a growing imitiative . Aldis feel stronger about helping refugees. gregations, made up. of about 60 people, Immigration. The Sponsorship Agreement called The Better Together Refugee Sponsorâ€" _ "It makes the cause more important she â€" aimed to raise $20,000 to support a family of Holder can sponsor refugees themselves ship. Ms, Matthies is coâ€"ordinating the projâ€" . said. five, said Rev. Lander. They circulated pledge _ or work with others in the community. to ect with Hillary Veley and they have five core _ Ms.:Aldis plans to open her downtown Port _ sheets and once they had $6,000, theysetup a sponsor refugees. teams working to bring five refugee famiâ€" â€" Hopeheritage home toseveral Syrian women.â€" bankaccount. Anapplication for a family was + Develop a settlement plan â€"â€" decide who lies to Northumberland: They hope to have refugees. submitted in late July, and the Syrian family is responsible for what, such as meeting two families here by the end ofthe year. "I am a trusting person,‘ she said. "Really . arrived in midâ€"August 2014. the family at the airport, arranging accomâ€" The Nov. 13 terrorist attacks have had some _ these are women fust like you and me." Before coming to Canada, the family had _ modation and orientation to town. people questioning bringing refugees into Aided by a board of directors, the group â€" experienced the violence of the war, said Ms.. _ «Determine how funds will be raised. Canada but Ms. Matthies said Better Together â€" could be ready by December to accept the . Chalovich. Theyescaped with only what they _« Get profiles from the Sponsorship Agreeâ€" remains committed. first few women. Longâ€"term, Ms. Aldis said. _ couldâ€"carry and walked the last 10 miles to _ ment Holder and choose a family to sponâ€" "We are deeply saddened by the:events of â€" she could take up to eight women. Lifeline . Jordan. sor, Tast week," she said. "Our compassion grows is targeting widows, single women, sisters, _ When they arrived in Canada, they were _« Fill out sponsor forms. as we are reminded so graphically of the desâ€" _ mothers with daughters 18 or older andiclose _ relieved to be safe, she said. « Connect with the local Citizenship and perate struggle to escape and survive that so â€" relatives such as aunts and nieces. "They came out (of immigration at the airâ€" Immigration office to coâ€"ordinate the‘ many innocent people live out every day of _ The focus is on female refugees port) with big smiles;" said Ms, Chalovich. â€" details of the government part of the fund~â€"‘ their lives, We remember that this is the kind because, Ms. Aldis said, they are often "They were so happy to be here" ing, R of VlDIem:el:hatrefugaes have been living overlooked in the global rush to resettle _ The group found housing in ‘Cobourg Page 8 â€" Today‘s ediforial, related column