Queen's employees assist Syrian refugees

Members of the Queen’s community have joined others across the region to assist families impacted by the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Syria.

Lori Rand, the Curriculum Coordinator for Faculty Development in the Faculty of Health Sciences, and a small group of friends are working to support the local branch of Save a Family from Syria. The friends have formed a fundraising committee for Save a Family from Syria, and they have also launched a letter writing campaign that can be found online. They intend to announce several fundraising events in the near future.

Lori Rand, Curriculum Coordinator for Faculty Development in the Faculty of Health Sciences, is contributing to a local fundraising effort to help resettle Syrian families in the local area. The group is connecting with people through a variety of means including a Facebook page. 

“With the level of privilege we experience, I feel we have a responsibility to provide families, just like our own, a safe home in Kingston and on-going support as they transition to life in Canada,” Ms. Rand says. “In coming weeks and months, there will be opportunities for people at the university to support the effort. The Queen’s community is full of caring students, staff and faculty, and I have confidence that we will use these opportunities to have a positive impact on the efforts.”

After gathering enough support to resettle a Syrian family in Kingston in July 2015, the group continued its fundraising efforts, which has resulted in a second Syrian family coming to live in the local community near the end of this month. The group is about to exceed the original goal, so it is looking at submitting an application for a third family.

“I commend Lori and others at Queen’s for doing their part to make a difference in the lives of Syrian refugees as well as people around the world who are displaced from their homes due to tragic circumstances,” Principal Daniel Woolf says. “Time and again, we are reminded of the generosity and compassion of our community.”

Those interested in supporting this initiative can send an email to info@saveafamilyfromsyria.org. To make a donation please visit www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/fourriverspresbytery/