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Thursday, January 14, 2016 - The IFP - H alton H ills - w w w .theifp.ca Page 3 2010 Nissan Versa SL + HST/LIC • Auto/4 cyl • Certified & E-tested • A/C • Sunroof/Moonroof • Cruise Control $9,800 2008 Ford Escape XLT $9,700 + HST/LIC • Auto/6 cyl • Certified & E-Tested • A/C • Cruise Control e-mail: hassellsauto@bellnet.ca www.hassellautomotive.com CALL 2006 Pontiac G6 • Auto/6 cyl • Certified & E-tested • Cruise Control $6,200 + HST/LIC 45 Mountainview Road North Georgetown, Ontario 905.877.7958 ONE WEEK SPECIAL! $10,700 $10,600 $7,100 NEWS A recently formed group working to help sponsor and resettle Syrian refugees in the local community has experienced its first success. In less than a month, the Halton Hills Coalition for Refugees (HHC4R) has raised more than $30,000 to cover the costs of re- settling one family in the community. Hous- ing for the family has also been secured. HHC4R Communications Director Jen- nifer Tate reports that the group's applica- tion for the first family has been submitted and approved by World Renew, a local relief agency. Now, they're waiting to hear from the family and find out when they'll arrive in Canada. "We are incredibly grateful for the out- pouring of support Halton Hills has shown us, both in terms of financial contributions and volunteering time," she said. "Once again, Halton Hills has shown us what a big heart our community has." What started as an idea from George- town resident Josh Brake to gather a few people and sponsor one family has now morphed into the HHC4R, which plans to continue co-ordinating the efforts of local residents and facilitating the sponsorship of multiple Syrian families approved by the Canadian government. Through the coalition, groups of 15 families are joining forces and each com- mitting to give $1,000 to help sponsor one family and be involved in their resettlement process. A matching $15,000 is then being raised through a GoFundMe page, corpo- rate and individ- u a l donations and other fun- d r a i s i n g e f f o r t s . All funds will be used to p r o v i d e the neces- sities of life for the family for one year. Currently the HHC4R's fundraising to- tal is sitting at over $36,000. Since the first group of families has fully funded its spon- sorship, a second group has now started and is currently accepting members. Brake-- an associate pastor at Maple Avenue Baptist Church and founder of the online charity, www.kutoa.org-- used his knowledge of charitable operations to cre- ate a structure for the HHC4R so that it can grow without creating a greater human re- source load. Each of the groups of 15 will operate independently and contain an ad- ministrator, treasurer, application manager and resettlement supervisor. The members will find a place for their sponsored family to live in advance of their arrival and assist them with enrolling in school and ESL programs, finding a doctor and a point of cultural connection, and ac- cessing community amenities. Individuals or groups interested in join- ing the HHC4R can contact the group through its new website, www.hhc4r.ca, or Facebook page, www.facebook.com/ hhc4r. Brake acknowledged that the $1,000 each group member is asked to contribute is "significant." Those who want to help with a smaller contribution can do so at https:// www.gofundme.com/HHC4R. The HHC4R has also established a bank account at the Georgetown CIBC under the name Hal- ton Hills Coalition for Refugees. The local branch will be offering free banking for two years to the refugees. In addition, the group is accepting do- nations of gift cards from local businesses and new household items, with a particular need for mattresses, bedding, kitchen and bathroom items. A Georgetown resident was rewarded for her generosity during the holiday season with a brand new vehicle thanks to Honda Canada. Cathy Longhurst, who owns the Art Ef- fects Gallery on Guelph St., brought in a couple of toys last month to the George- town dealership of Honda Canada, which sponsored the 49th-annual CP24 CHUM Christmas Wish. In a random draw held last week, Long- hurst's ballot was pulled as the winner of a 2016 Honda Civic EX sedan for her dona- tion. "I've never had a new car before, so this is exciting for me," said Longhurst on Mon- day. The Christmas Wish program has be- come one of the largest distributors of toys to children in need in the Greater Toronto Area. It also provides financial assistance to hundreds of agencies, ensuring that hun- dreds of thousands of children across the GTA enjoy a holiday experience. By Eamonn Maher emaher@theifp.ca Georgetown resident wins Honda in Christmas Wish drawCorrection The founder of To Be Deter- mined Theatre Co. was misiden- tified in the story, To Be Deter- mined spreads Norval star's love for theatre, in the Jan. 7 edition of The Independent & Free Press. Her name is Alexandra Lent. The Independent & Free Press regrets the error. The Independent & Free Press received a few calls from local residents last week to complain about sporadic or no mail delivery from Canada Post in central Georgetown. A Stevens Cres. man said that he hadn't received any mail in a week before finally finding something in his Super Mailbox, which included three bills that were due in a couple of days. Two other readers on Weber Dr. described simi- lar delays and one said that the regular carrier was on vacation and no replacement could be deployed. A call was placed to the Canada Post Media Re- lations Centre in Ottawa, where a spokesperson ac- knowledged delivery delays, but assures that service should return to normal this week. "We experienced some unexpected short-term staffing issues in Georgetown last week, and as a re- sult, some customers received delivery every other day," said Eugene Knapik of Canada Post. "We have brought in additional employees to help out and as of this morning (Monday), all routes are being delivered by regular staff." ****** Reader tip: From The Independent & Free Press Facebook page, reader Thelma Watt found her community mailbox frozen shut, "so I had to bang on it to make it open (key was also difficult to turn). Helpful reader Tamme Christiansen replied, "If you have hand sanitizer and put a little on the key be- fore putting it in the slot, it can help when the lock is frozen." Local residents displeased with mail delivery Refugee sponsorship group reaches $30,000 goal to fund Syrian family By Melanie Hennessey Special to The IFP