U of L refugee action committee raises over $26K for Syrian families

LETHBRIDGE – The image of a child’s body washed up on a shore in Turkey cold and dead is one that Anne Dymond will never forget.

The photo of the young Syrian boy, Aylan Kurdi, motivated her to help the refugee families wanting to flee their country.

“I felt really moved to do something,” the University of Lethbridge professor said. “This is such an important community initiative and such an important worldwide crisis that we really felt like we had to do something.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I felt really moved to do something," the University of Lethbridge professor said. "This is such an important community initiative and such an important worldwide crisis that we really felt like we had to do something."

She heard of local church groups that were sponsoring Syrian families to come to Lethbridge, which inspired her to use her resources at the university to create the U of L refugee action committee.

The group has raised more than $26,000 dollars since September, getting closer to their target of $36,000. They have also collected enough household goods to fill four large garages.

For student volunteer Ahmad Shaheen, the Syrian crisis hits close to home.

“I’m from Saudi Arabia and I feel connected to these people,” he said.

“I think we all need to step up and do something for the refugees that are coming to Lethbridge, just to show them we are welcoming them with happiness, with peace and with love.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I think we all need to step up and do something for the refugees that are coming to Lethbridge, just to show them we are welcoming them with happiness, with peace and with love."

The committee, in partnership with the From Syria to Lethbridge group – which consists of various local organizations – has raised enough donations to sponsor four Syrian families.

Dymond hopes if the donations continue to pour in, they might be able to help some of the government-sponsored refugees that are expected to arrive in early March.

“For me that old saying, ‘if you feel helpless, go help someone’…It’s really meaningful, I feel uplifted,” she said.

To learn more about the cause you can visit the U of L refugee action committee’s Facebook page.