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in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, F eb ru ar y 17 ,2 02 2 | 12 *APR. Subject to change without notice. Conditions apply. %*%2.00 90-DAY TFSA&RRSP FirstOntario.com/GICspecials Call us Email us ENTER FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN! One (1) Family Gift Pack from Oakville Entertainment Centrum MINIMUM RETAIL VALUE $500 CAD Contest ends at 9:00 am ET on March 8, 2022. Last September, Hugh Wanless of the Maple Grove United Church (MGUC) outreach commit- tee let Oakville residents know his church, as well as Munn's United Church, were sponsoring refugees from Afghanistan. His efforts, and the ef- forts of many others, are now yielding results. "We've gone from three families to four, and all of those families, three have now escaped Afghanistan and are in Pakistan, and one family is still in Af- ghanistan," Wanless said. "There's many people who contributed financial- ly to come up with the funds required to bring a family," said Oakville resi- dent Vanessa Barr. She and her husband, Mark, are one piece in a large group of families, numbering about 10 people, hoping to bring refugees to Oakville. There is no real time- table yet for when the fami- lies would arrive. They could get a call from the federal government at any moment and would need to spring into action at a mo- ment's notice to house, clothe and feed the new ar- rivals. "The Canadian govern- ment is making a priority (list) for some people just due to the risk that they are in, in Pakistan .... They are on an expedited list. That may happen sooner. We just don't know," Barr add- ed. Jennifer Pham and her husband, Bryan MacMil- lan, are lending a hand al- so. Pham and her family came to Canada as a refu- gee of former South Viet- nam. They took to the sea after the city Saigon fell to the North in 1975. Her family was support- ed by the Catholic church out of New Brunswick when she came to Canada as a baby in 1979. "Part of it is wanting to model for our children, that even in times like these there are people who have it far worse than we do and we need to help out, globally speaking," Pham said. "It's made a world of dif- ference in my life. I came from nothing, and now I live in Oakville. So as our kids are growing up in Oak- ville, I don't want them to know the world was just Oakville," she added. "Jen and I are very for- tunate that they were sup- ported in such a way, and we want to find a way to give back," MacMillan said. MGUC, Munn's United Church and Knox Presby- terian Church are all han- dling the applications for the families. St. John's United Church and Glenn Abbey United Church are helping with fundraising and volunteers. Housing, transporta- tion, clothing, jobs, medi- cal considerations and jobs are all challenges that need to be met once the families arrive. "The big challenge we have is getting rental ac- commodation. And so we're opening discussions with some of the apart- ments that we had used for another family," Wanless said. He added: "So when they actually arrive, you really kick into gear. When we get a heads up that we're get- ting close, we're going to try to get volunteer com- mittees or subcommittees, if you like, struck. There's a lot that needs to be done to- wards education and med- ical transportation." At this stage, Wanless is asking for the public's help with getting "the money in the bank account" to help finance the operation. Those interested in helping can make a donation or contact Wanless at out- reach.mguc@gmail.com. A FAITH-BASED LIFELINE Hugh Wanless of Maple Grove United Church is hoping to sponsor Afghan refugees in their bid to come to Canada. Mansoor Tanweer/Metroland MANSOOR TANWEER mtanweer@metroland.com NEWS NO TIMETABLE YET FOR WHEN FAMILIES WOULD ARRIVE "It's made a world of difference in my life. I came from nothing and now I live in Oakville." - Jennifer Pham