We've seen the long lines of mothers, fathers and children walking out of the Middle East to an uncertain reception in Europe.
And we've seen the tragic deaths of too many innocent children and others, in rickety boats and on desert sands.
It has become too terrible to ignore; we've decided to do what we can to help.
Who are We?
Riverdale Refugee Lifeline is a group of families, mostly from Toronto's Riverdale neighbourhood. Our goal is to help bring at least one of those vulnerable Syrian families to Canada as soon as possible and help them re-settle here permanently.Our group has taken on the responsibility of supporting a refugee family for their first 12 months in Canada.
Our commitment to the family:• Help them find and furnish a place to live
• Cover their airfare, rent, utilities, household and other expenses
• Ensure their daily needs are met--food, clothing, transportation
• Help them get health care, language instruction for the adults and schooling for the children
• Help them find employment training and jobs and become self-sufficient as quickly as possible
• Help them understand how to get around and function in Toronto and Canada, making sure they have the information and skills they'll need to make a successful transition to their new home.
We're working with Lifeline Syria, a humanitarian organization that recruits, trains and assists sponsor groups like ours to welcome and support the refugees who will come to Canada in the coming months and years.
We're not a religious organization (our group includes Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus and some who are not religious at all), but we have teamed up with Eastminster United Church on the Danforth to help us collect donations, to provide us with support and the benefit of their long experience in working with refugees.
How Much Will it Cost?
We're looking to sponsor a family of 6 to 8 people, which will likely include grandparents, parents and children.
A family that size will need about $60,000 to cover start-up costs and ongoing expenses for a year. That's roughly equivalent to the Social Assistance payments a similar Canadian family would receive from the government, plus an adjustment for Toronto's high cost of living.
All the money our members raise will be used to directly fund the family's resettlement costs. If the family becomes financially self-sufficient before the end of the 12-month sponsorship, any remaining funds will be used either by us to sponsor a second refugee family, or will go to assist other refugee families being sponsored by other groups.
Can You Help?
Please donate what you can today. Anything you can give will have a direct impact on the lives of at least one family affected by the crisis in Syria. Working together, we can save lives and lift innocent people from misery.
Thank you for your support. Please share our link with your friends and families and please encourage them to help us reach our fundraising goal.
Please click on the links on the right hand side of the page to see updates of our group's work, and to get more information.
