Dear friends and neighbours and community,

The images of the refugees pouring out of Syria have touched us profoundly and, like so many others around the world, we are motivated to act. Can you imagine what it must be like to arrive in a strange place, with nothing, after a long and difficult flight from danger?

We know there are a lot of people in our community who, like you, would like to help. We invite you to join us in supporting a refugee family to come to Ottawa and become part of our community.   Kitchissippi United Church has experience in welcoming and supporting refugee families, and we are familiar with the kind of support and commitment that is needed to smooth the way as they begin a new life here. As a “Sponsorship Agreement Holder” with the federal government, the United Church is in a position to navigate the complex refugee sponsorship process. This is easier than some of the other sponsorship avenues available, for example, for a group of individuals working on their own.

We welcome you to join with us in this important work. The wider the circle of support, the sooner we can embark on this and the more effective our sponsorship can be. Now that the incoming Liberal government has re-affirmed its commitment to bring 25,000 refugees to Canada over the coming months, we want to mobilize quickly and be ready.

Please join us for an information meeting to launch our Syrian Refugee Support initiative. At this meeting we hope to describe the process, next steps and identify a core group of people.

Syrian Refugee Sponsorship with Kitchissippi United Church — Information meeting

Sunday, November 15th – 11:45 am to 1:00 pm (refreshments will be provided)

630 Island Park Dr.              PH: 613-722-7254

We are part of a local network called Ottawa Centre Refugee Action (OCRA), which is coordinating some of the Syrian refugee sponsorship work in the wider neighbourhood and helping individuals connect with sponsoring agencies such as our church. For your information, attached is a sample sign-up sheet prepared by OCRA that shows all the options for getting involved. It can be as straightforward as a financial donation, or you can be part of a group that actively helps the new family settle in and nurtures an ongoing friendship with them.

Please do three things:

• Let us know if you are interested in hearing more about this refugee sponsorship collaboration;
• Join us at our launch meeting Nov. 15^th to learn about refugee needs and sponsorship details;
• Review the sample pledge sheet and consider what nature of commitment you might consider.

To make this happen we need people committed to lead and work on this project. We plan to form a core working group shortly after the launch on November 15th.

If you are unable to participate on the 15^th, just let us know of your interest and we will follow up to provide the information you need, and answer your questions. You can reach us by phone 613-722-7254 – or by e-mail: refugeesupport@kitchissippiuc.com

Many thanks,The Outreach Circle and Church Council