Everything Under The Sun: A Supportive Response To The Syrian Refugee Crisis

Monday, November 30, 2015

A Supportive Response To The Syrian Refugee Crisis

Farzin Yousefian and Samantha Jackson, now married, just after their smaller wedding.

By now, most of us have seen the pictures of Syrian refugee families risking their lives to escape the horrendous conditions of war and terrorism into safer lands. Even the refugee camps in the Middle East have been overwhelmed with the flow of refugees, to the point of not even being able to feed all of those who seek safety.

We have also seen certain grandstanding politicians cruelly denying entry to safer areas in wealthier parts of the world and adding hateful insults to the desperation that the refugees already face. Most of those fleeing the violence and hunger are families with young children. We have watched as some of the youngest refugees have lost their lives trying to get to safety.

In Toronto Samantha Jackson and Farzin Yousefian were planning to get married in March, only a few months away. They, also, noticed the refugees who were risking their lives and were particularly moved by the photo of Alan Kurdi, the three-year-old toddler, whose father was holding his lifeless body, where the boy had washed ashore after drowning, after the family set sail from Turkey in a flimsy boat.

The couple could not ignore the suffering, so they canceled their wedding. Ms. Jackson explained, "We realized right away that our wedding would be a great opportunity to come together with our friends and family to support this cause, and transformed our wedding into a fundraiser with the hopes of helping a Syrian family start a new life in Toronto." Instead, they got married on Oct. 9 at city hall and held a small dinner at which they asked guests to donate money to RYERSON UNIVERSITY LIFELINE SYRIA CHALLENGE, which is raising funds to sponsor at least 75 families (300 people) from Syria for resettlement in the Toronto area. The couple requested no gifts for themselves.

Samantha goes on, "We just called the venue and the caterers and we told them our plan. We said that we wanted to redirect our efforts towards this humanitarian crisis and they were immediately on board as well, which is great because they allowed us to cancel our existing reservation and refund our money to use towards this new cause." With a final goal of raising $27,000, the newly-weds have so far raised $17,500. Samantha has also converted her passion into action and has been working for the Syrian Challenge since June.

The happy couple with Toronto Mayor John Tory.

If you want, you can donate to the cause at the above link and click "Make A Donation". It's one way to show that you welcome Syrian refugees onto the North American continent.