Churches help bring Syrian refugee family to Niagara Falls

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Three churches of different denominations are coming together to help bring a Syrian refugee family to Niagara Falls to reunite with their relatives.

Joanne Altinawi knows the story all too well. She immigrated to Canada from Lebanon as a refugee 24 years ago. Over the past 9 months, she’s been trying to get her younger sister, her brother-in-law and their three kids to Canada. “The first day I heard her voice, I felt like hope,” says Joanne.The voice she is referring to is Reverand Val Kerr. She runs St.John the Evangelist Anglican, one of three churches in Niagara Falls that are hoping to make Altinawi’s dream a reality. “That’s why there is three parishes because it’s a lot of money,” says Reverend Val Kerr. She admits she didn’t know where to begin.

Reverand Terry Holub of the Holy Trinity Anglican in Chippawa was brought into the mix. Followed by Brad Peters of the Niagara Falls First Baptist Church. “It was a very emotional and moving moment in the sense that you really began to feel the kind of dedication she had to her family in improving their situation.”

The three churches ramped up their charity efforts after images of 3-year-old Alan Kurdi’s lifeless body made global headlines. Altinawi’s story is not that different from the millions of Syrians who fled their home land. Her sister’s family fled Syria when their city was destroyed and have been living in Lebanon for a number of years. To date, the three churches have raised about $25 000. it’s about $10 000 short of what they need to get Altinawi’s family to Niagara Falls.

On June 17th, the trio of churches are hosting a dinner with raffles and auctions to help raise the final figures.