St. Dominic Refugee Care
Committee Meeting Minutes
Wednesday, May 25, 2016
1. Opening Prayer: Karen Dysart asked Liz Whyte to lead us in a
prayer for guidance as we prepare to receive Anwar and Noor. We concluded
with The Lord's Prayer.
2. Introduce New Volunteers Present: Karen introduced new attendee Marg Humphrey
who will
be helping in the area of health.
Members identified themselves around the table including how long they
had be members of the parish.
Regrets: Fr. Michael Anderson, Nerina and Norm Murray, Connie Booth and Theresa O'Connor
3. Agenda: Item 5 of the agenda was removed and replaced with Housing:
Temporary and Permanent. It was then accepted as modified.
4. Approval of Minutes: A motion was moved by Genevieve
Poirier-Murphy and seconded by Charmaine Aubut to approve the minutes of May 11, 2016.
5. Housing: a) Temporary- Karen advised the committee that the Rectory
is no longer an option. She also stated that Georgina Bourke's offer of
her downstairs is not recommended because she lives alone.
Liz mentioned that Sheridan College has student residences for couples that may be
open in the summer. The committee agreed that this could be our best
option at the present time. Liz will find out the cost and availability.
b) Permanent- Helen Danko stated that the apartment that was available through the Rotary Club has been
rented. She may have a lead on a 2 bedroom apartment on Bronte Rd. (next
to Amico) that could be available on August 1. She
stated that at $1,350 monthly, it is above the housing budget planned for but
because this is a high rate rental area it is likely our best choice at this
time. The committee agreed that if it is available and there could be an
option to acquire a one bedroom within the building if it became empty that we
should rent it.
Georgina mentioned that she is still looking into the basement apartment rental.
6. List of Approved Volunteer Drivers: Liz circulated a sheet for volunteer drivers
to sign with their days and times available. The committee was reminded
that a Volunteer Driver Form had to be submitted to the parish office before they
could be listed.
7. Refugee Settlement Plan BVOR Version from Pre-arrival through Two
Weeks Post Arrival:
a) Committee Members Progress Reports
-Arrival Binder- Genevieve has had Rudy Habesch translate the letter of welcome into Arabic for the
binder. She showed the committee red T-shirts with Canada on the front
that could be worn by the airport greeters. Anyone interested in wearing
it should contact her for details on where to purchase them.
-Management of In Kind Donations- Karen reported that
Theresa's committee plans to start the three week donation period
from June 11th to 26th weekends.
-Budget and Finances- Brian Thornton stated that the
Office of Refugees at the Chancery Office did not accept the revised
budget, so he is resubmitting the original budget.
Scotia Bank welcomes Syrian Refugees in their language.
-Education (Adult)- Sharon Cebrowski showed a deck of cards to be given to the couple that
translates words and simple phrases from English to Arabic. She will look
into the prospect of purchasing them for committee members who are interested.
-Culture and Trauma- Charmaine contacted HMC regarding
making a presentation to the committee on cultural sensitivity training.
The cost would be $250. She informed us that St. Raphael Parish in
Burlington is offering this presentation on June 8 at 7pm. The cost is $10
per person payable at the door. It was the consensus that those
interested would attend the Burlington presentation. Sybil Percy
volunteered to contact the parish to let them know how many would attend.
-Arrival Day- Sharon mentioned that all committee
members wanting to greet the couple at the airport and or at the welcome meal
should feel free to do so. Rudy said that this is a good idea because
when anyone arrives for a visit the whole family goes to meet them and the more people
the merrier for a special occasion. Georgina asked to let her know if
your name is not already on the list in order to have enough food. Karen
offered to help with the set up.
-Transportation-Sharon mentioned that HMC has monthly
free bus passes for the first 2 months of arrival and half price passes for up
to a year.
-Shopping and Clothing-Georgina volunteered to take
the couple grocery shopping. She found a Syrian Grocery List at www.syriancooking.com. The site also has recipes and a list of useful
kitchen utensils.
-Community Services-The YMCA offers a 3 month
free membership to newcomers.
b) Gaps Needing Assistance-Cellphone/home phone and
provider
-Which committee member is responsible?
8. Budget: Discussed above.
9. Other Business: None
10. Next Meeting: Wednesday, June 15 at 7 pm. in the Parish
Centre.
FYI: June 20 is World Refugee Day
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