the north grenville
TIMES
Reaching by direct mail 9,000 homes and businesses in North Grenville and Merrickville/Wolford www.ngtimes.ca
Vol. 4, No. 2
The Voice of North Grenville
January 13, 2016
Refugees in North Grenville effort in full swing
The North Grenville Times is Locally Owned and Operated
Merrickville/Wolford Times page 11 by Hilary Thomson The members of Refugees In North Grenville (R.I.N.G.) met last Wednesday evening to discuss the fundraising effort and their upcoming information and training session. R.I.N.G was officially launched before Christmas and is a non-partisan organization of church and citizen groups who have come together in an effort to bring two Syrian refugee families to North Grenville. So far, they have raised around $5,000 of the $50,000 needed to support the two families. R.I.N.G has committed to supporting the families for up to a year, or until they can get on their feet.
In order to do so, there are many things that need to be considered. For the Syrian families to thrive in our community things like transportation, housing, ESL training and healthcare need to be considered. Because of this, R.I.N.G. has divided themselves up into eight working groups: Accommodation, Furniture and household items, Education, Medical, Documentation, Social, Transportation and Fundraising. Some of these groups, like fundraising, have a lot to do right now, while others, like documentation (OHIP card, SIN card etc.) will have to be looked after once the families arrive in North Grenville. Anyone who
has experience in any of these categories and would like to help out is encouraged to contact the R.I.N.G. organizing committee at refugeesng@ gmail.com. A great way to find out more about the initiative and how to get involved is to attend the information and training session at 7 pm on Wednesday, January 20 at the Kemptville Christian Reformed Church. The first half of the evening will be lead by Stephanie Gilmer, the executive director of World Hope Canada, which is the organization that is facilitating the refugee sponsorship process. She will be talking about the severity of the global refugee crisis and how communities
like North Grenville can be successful in helping those that have been forced from their homes. During the second half of the evening there will be an opportunity to join any of the eight working groups or donate to the cause. According to R.I.N.G.’s website, one in every 122 humans is either a refugee, internally displaced or seeking asylum. Over half of the world’s refugees are children. This is our chance to play a role on the world stage and give two families a safe and welcoming place to call home. To donate online or learn more about R.I.N.G. visit their website at www. refugeesng.com.