A few moments spent with Dr. Liz Sinclair Kruth reveals a kind nature that is openly extended to others.
A veterinarian by trade, Liz has called Guelph her home for the past 15 years. At home, she keeps herself busy with her 13-month old daughter Millie.
She is also completing a graduate degree in counseling.
In 2015, a group of fifteen people, mostly friends and neighbours of Liz and her husband Dr. Stephen Sinclair Kruth, gathered together to form the Guelph Refugee Sponsorship Group.
The members made a commitment to help raise $30,000 and invest two years into bringing a Syrian refugee family to the city of Guelph.
Approximately $30,000 is required to privately sponsor a family and the group that the Sinclair Kruths are part of, managed to exceed that amount.
In order to raise the funds, the group connected with their family, friends and ran various community fundraisers.
Liz noted that the community came together in many ways to support their group.
Artisanale French Country Cooking hosted an event called “A Syrian Family Dinner,” where traditional Syrian food was served, with proceeds going to the Refugee Sponsorship Group.
The Woolwich Arrow, Wellington Brewery, Downey Animal Hospital and Glen Soderholm were all involved in raising funds to bring the family to Guelph.
With all this support, the Guelph Refugee Sponsorship Group eventually raised $50,000 to bring a family into Canada.
“Not all of that is going to one family,” confirmed Liz. “The money goes towards supporting the family for their first year as newcomers to Canada ... it included the start-up costs related to their arrival in Canada.”
The monetary support provides the family a year to spend time focusing on learning English and Canadian culture, before being expected to integrate into Canada and begin working to support themselves.
“The first Syrian asylum seekers came about eight months ago through the United Church,” said Liz, “So, technically our family is the second family to arrive here.”
The family arrived in Guelph about six weeks ago.
“A family of four, a mom, dad and two boys, arrived from a Lebanon Refugee Camp to Guelph on New Year’s Eve,” she said, noting that the family wishes to remain anonymous in order to protect their privacy.
Three weeks prior to their arrival, Liz received word that the family could be arriving at any time.
“I thought they could be here tomorrow,” she said, noting it was a stressful time of making preparations and getting the family's apartment ready.
The group came together, donating furniture, kitchen items, cleaning and painting the apartment.
According to Liz, Balnar Property Management, the managers of the apartment where the family would be housed, was extremely helpful and understanding during the process. “When the family arrived we were ready for them,” she said.
When the newcomers arrived at the Pearson Airport, they were greeted by some of the sponsors that had worked tirelessly to bring them to their new home in Canada.
“They had no idea we would be there. They had no idea we had been preparing for them or even who we were,” she said.
The family members are now permanent residents of Canada. Liz encourages others to stop using the term "refugee" when referring to families and individuals who have now found asylum in Canada. “Out of respect we call them permanent residents, they are not refugees,” she said.
Liz said that although her group has committed a minimum of one year to supporting a family, the hope is that the relationship the group has with the family will last a life-time. Since the family’s arrival in Guelph six weeks ago, Liz and other members of the group have remained actively involved in their daily life.
“My husband is with them grocery shopping right now,” Liz said. She noted that the group is committed to spending at least a year supporting the family by helping them with appointments, registering their kids for school, filling out forms, getting to the doctors and anything else that they may need assistance with.
Every Sunday the Sinclair Kruth’s host a Sunday potluck and they invite the family to attend. Recently they also invited some families that also speak Arabic, to provide a sense of familiarity.
When asked how the family has reacted to the generosity of her group, Liz hesitated for a moment. “They are incredibly grateful. So grateful. Every single time we see them, they thank us for all that we’ve done,” she said. “And they are happy that their children have a future here.”
She also noted that there are probably many mixed emotions for the family. And naturally so.
“They miss their home. They are survivors of war. That’s a tough thing. It’s been a loss, to come to Canada. They have lost their extended family, their community and their culture,” she said. “Their home has been destroyed and their family is still in Syria.”
Liz goes on to say that as newcomers to Canada, the family will need a lot of community support. So far, they have received it, but the hope is that it will continue.
“They need to know that they’re welcome here, and that it’s going to be okay,” she said.
And with that, Dr. Liz Sinclair Kruth went back to feeding her 13-month-old apples and waited for her husband to return home from grocery shopping. A seemingly typical woman living in our community, but more extraordinary then we can ever imagine.
