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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, December 10, 2015 | 16 Knox Presbyterian prepares to welcome Syrian family by David Lea Oakville Beaver Staff Oakville's Knox Presbyterian Church is asking for the community's help in bringing a family of six Syrian refugees to the town. Knox Outreach Cluster Coach Matt Foxall said the church has a long history of sponsoring refugees, noting it was heavily involved in assisting the Vietnamese `boat people' in the late 1970s. Discussions on getting involved in the Syrian refugee crisis had been circulating around the downtown Oakville church in late 2014, but Foxall said the matter was put on the backburner due to other commitments, including charity projects the church was concluding in Ghana. For many congregation members, real interest in the plight of Syrian refugees peaked in September when photos of the lifeless body of three-year-old Alan Kurdi, who died when the boat he and other Syrian refugees were travelling in sank, began circulating throughout the world. "That changed the world's perspective, Knox Presbyterian Church is sponsoring a refugee family of six from Syria. The effort is looking to the community for financial support and clothing donations, as well as available affordable housing. Pictured, Matt Foxall, Outreach Cluster Coach, and Amy MacLachlan, member of the refugee sponsorship team, in front of the Dunn Street church with some of the warm clothing items needed. | photo by Graham Paine ­ Oakville Beaver (Follow on Twitter @halton_photog or facebook.com/HaltonPhotog) ABBEY ARMS GlEn ABBEY'S OnlY AuthEntic BRitiSh PuB! BreaKfast With santa fun for the Whole faMily. BooK your taBle noW!!! I feel, on what was actually going on. Even though we know the Syrian refugee crisis has been going on for years, it really didn't hit home here in North America until that photo came out in mainstream media," said Foxall. "It was at that point that my phone and my email started blowing up from everybody in the congregation asking what we were doing, what's our response and everything else. The first thing everyone thought was that we should sponsor refugees." The congregation ultimately settled on a blended Visa Office-Referred (VOR) sponsorship through the Canadian government. In this type of sponsorship, the government locates, vets and makes the refugees available for sponsorship and covers six months worth of those refugees' expenses. The sponsor is responsible for covering the next six months of expenses, which Foxall estimates will run $25,000-$30,000. "That's just the first year. We recognize as a congregation that while our agreement is only for the first year, we also want to create a sustainable program for refugees that come into the Oakville community," said Foxall. "We wouldn't just leave them high and dry if they haven't found work or they are struggling to live here in Oakville. We want to make sure that we continue to support them as long as they want to stay." The congregation is hoping to sponsor a family of six, and while the family has yet to be selected, the congregation is already contributing funds. Foxall noted with the government's pledge see Being on p.20 saturday deceMBer 19th 11:00aM liVe Music WeeKends 481 North Service Rd. @ 4th Line, Oakville 905-825-1109 Mention this ad to get 10% off your food order www.abbeyarmspub.ca AyA Kitchens of oAKville 1195 north service roAd west 905.847.1522 1011 Upper Middle Road East, Oakville · 289-291-0147 · www.walkerschocolates.ca ayaoakville.com