BIG WELCOME News

December 2017 Update

Loai Al Rifai

It’s the time of year that naturally makes us think of giving and we thought you may like to know a little bit about the progress we’ve made with The BIG WELCOME. In the past two years since our BIG WELCOME project began we’ve come a very long way.

2016 Highlights:
We secured an apartment in close proximity to family members and amenities.

We collected furnishings to fill a 2 bedroom apartment and meet the needs of this family of 4.

We greeted the family at the airport, November 23, 2016 and assisted them with immediate orientation to their new home, community, transportation, medical needs and other necessary services.

We assisted the family to complete all paperwork needed to access government programs.

2017 Highlights:
We secured a scholarship for Loai (the father) to start full time english classes in January 2017.

We also assisted Loai and Enas (the mother) in securing scholarships for english classes at Dalhousie University (Loai started April 2017 and completed Dec 2017; Enas started July 2017 and will complete in April 2018); each scholarship was valued at approximately $14K!

We helped the family to find daycare placement for Leen (their daughter) and Wassem (their son) in a daycare close to their home.

We supported the family in accessing medical and dental services as needed and have connected them with facilities that can provide service to them on an ongoing basis.

We assisted Loai in obtaining part-time employment at the Home Depot.

We provided various social experiences; BBQ’s, playground, picnics, and visits in their home.

And the icing on this cake is that Loai and Enas have become leaders in their own community and are heavily involved in the new Nova Scotian Syrian Society and the Syrian School for culture and language preservation.

THANK YOU to everyone who has supported this very special GIVETOLIVE project with donations of money, time and necessary items; just look at the difference you’ve made!