Ten more Syrian refugee families are expected to arrive in Guelph just before or just after Christmas, says Ishita Ghose, the new director of the Guelph Refugee Sponsorship Forum.
On Saturday, many members of the approximately 38 families that have already arrived in the city over roughly the past year, along with members of their sponsorship groups and other friends, gathered for a Christmas party at the First Baptist Church on Woolwich Street.
The basement auditorium was filled with the sounds of very happy and playful children, and a great deal of conversation. A long table was covered end to end with festive treats.
“It’s absolutely amazing here to today,” Ghose said. “You can see for yourself how happy people are to be here in Guelph.”
The event, she said, was social and cultural in nature, a sharing of local music and custom. It was a way to bring families together, bring children together to play, and a way for all to enjoy the season.
Syrians are predominantly Muslim and don’t celebrate the Christmas holiday, Ghose said. Yet all seemed overjoyed to take part in the Canadian tradition.
“When we organized the event we just didn’t know how many would come,” she said. “We sold out.”
Jim Estill, a local philanthropist, business innovator, and head of appliance company Danby, put up $1.5 million to sponsor 50 of the refugee families. He was on hand at the event.
The Refugee Sponsorship Forum, which is headquartered at First Baptist, was established last year to coordinate the many services needed to welcome the Syrian families to the community. A network of hundreds of volunteers and donors have responded.
“The forum’s main mission is to see that all the newcomer families get some form of community support,” Ghose said, adding that the work continues to evolve.
Families are being assisted with everything from banking to language services, educational to accommodation needs.
“The Guelph community has really responded well to the forum’s call,” Ghose added.
Walaa Allaf is a member of the local Syrian community who has lived in Guelph for nearly eight years.
“It’s great to see Canadian and Syrian people sitting together, integrating the community, socializing together, and getting to know each other,” he said. “It is so good to exchange traditions and values.”
Allaf said newcomers have experienced “huge support” from the Guelph community. He said he has been impressed by the level of support from all faith communities.
“Everyone is having fun in here,” he said of Saturday’s celebration. “We should just keep doing events like this.”
Naia Alkhaledi, 14, said young Syrians are very happy to be in Guelph. They feel the welcoming embrace of the community.
“We thank the community very much for the hospitality,” she said, adding that when the war in Syria ends, she would like as many people from Guelph as possible to visit her country.
“I think it’s outstanding,” Jim Estill said, as he surveyed the scene at the celebration. “There’s a great turnout, everyone is having fun. It’s good family fun.”
Estill said he is proud of what the Guelph community has done for the Syrian refugees, and happy that he was able to contribute in the effort.
“It’s good for people to socialize with others,” he said. “It gets them out and helps them realize that they’re really not alone. It’s good community building.”
As many as 75 Syrian refugee families are expected to resettle in Guelph.
