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Thursday, February 4, 2016 - The IFP - H alton H ills - w w w .theifp.ca Page 11 Ita lia n L eat her Pu rse s fe b 1 0 , 10 am -6p m www.mipiacefashion.com *Discount off item of equal or lesser value of Mi Piace marked price Hand Made • Computer Bags • Purses • Wallets • Duffles Mi P Smell It, Feel It, Love It! Direct from ItalyI tal ian Le ath er Pu rse s Ita lia n L eat her Pu rse s fe b 1 0t h ,17 th & 24 th , 10 am -6 pmHand MadeHand Made • Computer Bags• Computer Bags • Purses allets fles Mi Piace Fashion Smell It, Feel It, Love It! NewNew Fashionsashions Direct fromDirect from ItItalalyFE BRU aRy WIN tER EVE Nt 905-703-4822 mpf@mipiacefashion.com 360 Guelph St., Unit 5, Georgetown MaJOR SaVINGS off already reduced prices: Buy 1 Get 20% off 2nd Item!* Buy2Get 30%off 3rd Item!* 3 Da yS ON ly ! COMMUNITY It's been five months since the death of Alan Kurdi, and four months since one Halton group decided they would help in every way they could towards the Syrian refugee crisis. On Sept. 2, media all over the world reported on the three-year- old boy found lifeless on a Turkish beach. By Sept. 9, nine people liv- ing in Halton joined together and decided they would focus their ef- forts on bringing a Syrian family to Ontario. The group, called Terra Firma Halton, got right to work, and soon they realized they had to obtain a sponsorship agreement holder to get the ball rolling. Through one of the members, they were able to fill the position with the Unitarian Congregation of Mississauga, and things started to happen. "They wanted three levels of in- volvement, so a steering committee and the organizers, some people that were on call, and silent part- ners," Balogh explained. Positions were also created for treasurer, government liaison, and family liaison. By this time, more than 30 people were part of the group, all between Mississauga, Oakville and Halton, all sharing the dream of privately sponsoring a Syrian family. The team turned to the Canadi- an Unitarian Council, an organiza- tion that provides support for reli- gious exploration, spiritual growth and social responsibility in Cana- da, and was told they had to have a minimum of $30,000 to apply. "So we created a bank account. All of the members in the group, which total close to 40, all made a private pledges, and luckily came up with the initial $30,000," Balogh said. By December, the group was ad- vised they were matched up with a family, but all the details are confi- dential at the present time. To support the family for one year, the $30,000 might cover all the expenses. But Terra Firma Halton wants to make sure they're covered for the first two years, giving them a new total of $70,000. "We're still wanting to move forward with more financing, just in case," member Pam Dickenson said. "We're supposed to look after the family for 12 months, but this could extend into two years. So we still need more money to carry us into the second year." The money would go towards rent, food, education, clothing, an interpreter and anything health related, including dentist and doc- tor visits. Finding these resources were divided among the group, as- signing members to find housing, clothing, furniture and other types of services, including childcare, employment and language train- ing. "We're very organized, I'm pleased to say," Balogh said. By Kathryn Boyle kboyle@theifp.ca Refugee support group calls Halton residents to action Pam Dickenson (left) and Sue Balogh, members of Terra Firma Halton, stand in the gathering of furniture to be used in a furniture to house a Syrian family the group sponsored. Photo by Kathryn Boyle Continued on page 13 Visit activities events restaurants travel more!