It is time for other people to step up to the plate.
That was the gist of Barrhead and Community Refugee Support (BCRS) chair Ralph Helder’s report at the group’s latest meeting Dec. 13, held at Barrhead United Church.
The group, formerly headed by Rita Lyster and now chaired by Helder, applied to sponsor two immigrants claiming refugee status in 2016 and their first, Boba Banda, arrived in Barrhead in May.
“Generally, you get comments from some sectors of society that claim refugees are a burden on the community but I think he is proving this is not true. He’s industrious and shows a lot of initiative and he is motivated to do things on his own. I’m thrilled by his sense of responsibility,” Halder said, adding Banda is currently employed at both A&W and Tim Hortons.
“Sometimes, when people lay their eyes on the person they helped to get here for the first time, it becomes real for them,” Lyster said. “It was very real for people on the night of the Festival of Trees when he [Banda] waved from the parade. To me there’s some energy around generating this realization and to hear his story, it helps us to recognize that there is a reason why we do this sort of thing.”
For the group to continue with its sponsorship objectives however, Helder said they need more community involvement.
“I’m good at the administrative side of things but as far as face-to-face and day-to-day stuff goes, maybe someone else is better at it.”
Helder said the group is looking for host families specifically.
“We need volunteers all across the board, for everything from day-to-day transportation to healthcare and employment, as well as recreational activities too, but first and foremost, we are looking for people to serve as a host for the first few weeks of our new residents being in Barrhead.”
Lyster agreed.
“We need help,” she said.
“We have the structure in place to deal with the administrative stuff but we need soldiers on the ground. If you are willing to be a home-stay for a couple weeks or a month, I encourage you to contact either myself or Ralph [Helder].”
“Building relationships with the people we are sponsoring is just as important as any financial assistance,” Helder added.
While details are scant concerning a 35-year-old male from Lebanon whose immigration to Canada BCRS is currently sponsoring, Helder’s group received an interesting update.
“We hadn’t heard anything about this individual for quite some time and when I enquired about the matter, I was told he had recently gotten married,” Lyster said, adding the original application was for a single male.
To proceed, Lyster was told the man’s wife would have to be added to the private sponsorship as a dependant.
“She also has to be screened by Immigration and nobody knows how long that is going to take. We know because of our experience with Boba Banda that it could be as early as next week, or it could take months yet.” Lyster said she understands members have concerns.
“Whether they are financial or not, their concerns are understandable. We are hopeful that the community will reach out and be as welcoming, and involved, as they were when we first started advocating for Boba’s arrival.”
“There were discussions about our readiness and what our next steps moving forward were going to be and the general consensus is that we need more people,” Helder said, adding he said he believes the group’s decision to proceed was the right one.
“The idea of a couple verses a single man, I like it better myself and I know it will make things easier for everyone involved. We know, as a smaller committee from what we first started out as, that the work load required is not going to be as spread out as it could be and more hands would be greatly appreciated.”
Helder said people won’t know if they can be involved without asking.
The next meeting scheduled is at the Barrhead United Church on Tuesday, Jan. 17, at 6:30 p.m.
