Thank you!

Quite a lot has happened since our last update.

Earlier this year, I was able to help my friends, the Almaksour family, make their way to Newfoundland, through the generosity of two local sponsors and facilitation from the Association for New Canadians. Just a couple of weeks later in June, the Alsheikh family arrived in Newfoundland, again through my coordinated efforts with a local sponsor and the Association for New Canadians.

With regard to this third sponsorship, through various efforts, including the generous donations received through this crowdfunding site, we’ve reached our monetary goal of $35,000, which is the total amount required to sponsor a family of seven.

As a result, we are currently preparing our sponsorship application for the Almostafa family, who I met in Turkey in October 2014, and have kept in touch with since then. We’re hoping that our application will be processed quickly and approved by the government of Canada, so that the Almostafa family will soon be able to join their friends, the Almaksour family and Alsheikh family, here in St. John’s.

Sincere thanks to every person who contributed in any way, big or small. By donating either your time, money, or energy to this endeavor, you’ve helped to give these three lovely families the chance for a fresh start, and to make their new home here in Newfoundland.

All the best,

Jeremy Burridge
Newfoundland Homes for Syrian Families

Love for Syria - Musical Silent Auction

12-Feb-2016

Hi Folks. Newfoundland Homes for Syrian Families, in partnership with RIAC, will be hosting a musical silent auction to raise funds for a Syrian family of six to live in St. John's. At the Gower Street United Church from 1pm to 4pm on Saturday, 13 February.

Come should check out the fantastic outpouring of donations that we've received from the community: individuals, artists, and businesses -- small and large -- have really come through to make this event happen. You can visit the event's Facebook page to see some selections.

Join us to hear performances by the Atlantic String Quartet, Flower Hill and other great musicians. There will be auction and raffle items, Valentine's Day treats and a kids crafting corner (help create Valentines for newly arrived Syrian families to our city!).

ALL proceeds are going towards bringing this family to safety in our community.

Advance tickets $10/$12 at the door. Kids under 12 free.

A quick update

21-Dec-2015

So, the last few weeks have brought about a lot of good news.

First, an update on the Alsheikh family:

In my previous post, I was happy to share the news that a generous local donor had come forward to fully sponsor the Alsheikh's. At the time, we were expecting this to mean 8 members of the family. Since then, we've learned that family's eldest son and his wife will likely be able to accompany the rest of the family to Canada, as part of that same sponsorship. This would finally reunify the family, which has spent the past 4 years separated in two foreign countries. They are currently working with the Association for New Canadians to complete their immigration application. If all goes well, this should be ready to submit to the Department of Citizenship, Refugees, and Immigration within a few days. From there, we can reasonably expect their arrival in Newfoundland within 3-6 months.

As for my next steps:

Because I had already initiated this fundraising campaign before the Alsheikh's private sponsor came forward, I'm now in the very fortunate position of being able to use these collected funds to help another family of Syrian refugees. In recent days, I met with a small group of very smart, energetic, dedicated people here in St. John's, who have decided to start a new sponsorship group. Their goal is to fully sponsor a Syrian family of 6. This will require 12 months of financial support (approximately $32,000), and just as importantly, a strong network of social supports after the family arrives here. I'm excited to be partnering with this impressive group to help give another family a decent chance for success and safety here in Newfoundland.

Because of the outpouring of donations during the initial fundraising campaign (sincere thanks to you all), we can now begin this new project with a healthy head start of nearly $7,000!

We encourage you to talk to your friends, relatives, coworkers, and neighbours about this project, and to post and share this website with anyone who may be interested. Many hands make light work.


All the best,
Jeremy Burridge
St. John's, Newfoundland

Incredible News!

19-Nov-2015


A very generous anonymous donor has come forward to sponsor the entire Alsheikh family to come to Newfoundland!! Working with the Association for New Canadians, the details are currently being worked out, and we will provide them to you as we come to know them. We are incredibly excited and uplifted by this amazing development. Thank you to everyone who has come forward so far to donate to and share the story of the Alsheikhs.

What does this mean for Newfoundland Homes for Syrian Families, and for the donations we’ve received so far?

Well, we are incredibly bolstered by this news. There is clearly a strong desire in this province to help out and connect with Syrians who are fleeing hardship and war. As such, we are currently reaching out to another Syrian family for sponsorship. We’ll be letting you know about them, and our upcoming campaign to provide them with a Newfoundland home, in the coming days.

And, what does this mean for the donations we’ve received so far?

Starting with this update, we are reaching out to current donors. The donations—big and small—have been coming in fast and frequently today, and we still want to provide people a way to help. Our current plan is to carry over the existing donations (gathered online, in person, and from the Songs for Syria fundraiser)  to our next family’s campaign. If another private donor comes forward to fully sponsor that family, we will put forward another Syrian family for sponsorship, and so on. We’ll do this until your crowdfunded donations sponsor a family’s arrival to Newfoundland.

Thank you so much to everyone who has come forward to help so far. Please keep your donations and support coming. We’re only just beginning, and we’re off to a great start. We’re excited about what the near future holds and are grateful for all of the support that we’ve received in just a short period of time.

Looking forward to the days and weeks ahead,

Jeremy Burridge,
Newfoundland Homes for Syrian Families

Meet the Alsheikh Family

6-Nov-2015


In recent weeks and months, it has become increasingly obvious that the world is in the midst of an extremely serious refugee crisis, beyond anything we've seen since World War II. This crisis is largely due to the war in Syria, which has caused more than 4 million people to flee the country in the past 4-and-a-half years. Most of them have made their way to the neighbouring countries of Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, and Iraq, which are struggling to accommodate such massive numbers of people in need.

Like many other people who are watching from a distance as this humanitarian crisis unfolds, I’m genuinely concerned about the fate and well-being of these people who have lost so much.

In October of 2014, in an attempt to reach out to displaced Syrians, I travelled to the Turkish-Syrian border, and spent a month providing free english lessons to any Syrian refugees who wanted to learn. It gave me the opportunity to get to know some of these people on a personal level.

Back home, in September of this year, I was able to raise more than $13,000 for two Syrian families to relocate to Europe.

Now I’m setting out to help another family to make a new home here in Newfoundland. To do that, the Canadian government is depending on private citizens like me to provide the financial and social supports that those families will need upon their arrival in Canada.

I’ve decided to sponsor the Alsheikh family. During my month at the Syrian border, I developed a close relationship with this family of eight while they helped me to get oriented in an unfamiliar community, and invited me into their temporary home to share meals with them. I also taught English lessons to the children. As the Alsheikh’s sponsor, I’m excited to give this very cheerful, generous family the opportunity to make their fresh start here in Newfoundland.

The Ministry of Citizenship, Refugees, and Immigration gives this permission after $40,000 has been raised -- the amount required for their first 12 months of living expenses. To raise this amount, I’d be happy to accept help from anyone who is able to donate, and I’m really depending on a strong outpouring of support from the people right here in Newfoundland.

I’ve already witnessed the generous spirit of Newfoundlanders in recent weeks, and I hope this display of generosity and concern from our province will continue to come through in the weeks to come, as I embark on this latest goal. Your donation will bring this very appreciative family one step closer to the safety of Newfoundland, where they can put the troubles of war behind them, and get a fresh start in a place famous for its hospitality, charm, and good humour.

Thank you for your time,

Jeremy Burridge
Newfoundland Homes for Syrian Families