Saturday, September 28: Refugee Walk-a-thon 2024
The St. James and Community Refugee Committee will be Walking for Refugees on Saturday, September 28, 2024 beginning at 10:00am in Edwards Gardens. The committee hopes to raise $35,000 to fund the resettlement of refugees to Toronto.
Join us as we walk through the gardens and/or support us with your donation here.
Walking for Refugees
Pilgrimage walks are a long-standing tradition for people of many faiths. From the Abraham Walk in the Middle East, the Via Francigena from Canterbury to Rome, or the Camino de Santiago, pilgrims walk in peace, silence and a sense of seeking a better and closer understanding and relationship with God.
Refugees walk with whatever possessions they can carry as they flee persecution. They walk hoping they can find refuge and safety in a foreign land. They do not have the luxury of meditating while walking. Survival is their only thought.
The St. James and Community Refugee Committee will be walking for refugees on September 28th in Edward Gardens to raise funds to continue their ability to sponsor resettlement applications. The committee has undertaken eight sponsorships, including single individuals, reuniting family members, and families from Iran, Syria, Cameroon, Eritrea, and Afghanistan. The stories of each of these individuals and families are compelling – fleeing civil war, conscription into the army with no hope of a way out or persecution due to sexual orientation.
Bibi is a 70-year-old widow who was living alone in Pakistan and feared arrest by the police and deportation to Afghanistan. She was not eligible for resettlement to Canada when her son and family arrived in 2022. The Committee submitted an application, and she was reunited with her family in March 2024. She represents the most vulnerable among the millions of displaced people worldwide.
The work of the St. James and Community Refugee Committee and the many like it across the diocese and Canada cannot be done without donations. The costs to support individuals and families have risen significantly. Minimum costs to support an individual for the 12-month period required by the Government of Canada are estimated at $25,000. For a family of four, the costs are $50,000 or more.
Consider helping families like Bibi’s by walking on September 28 starting at 10:00am or through a donation. Without events such as these, the committee cannot continue the vital work it does.
Donate here: Walking for Refugees – St. James Cathedral and Community Refugee Committee Walkathon Canadahelps
To read more about our Refugee response, click here.
