Family of 7 for Revelstoke

Rana Nelson is counting the days until a Syrian refugee family arrives in Revelstoke.

Nelson is with Revelstoke for Refugees and the privately sponsored family of seven is expected to arrive within months.

The family consists of a mom, dad and five children between the ages of one and nine. They are from Homs, a city devastated by the ongoing war, and are currently living in a refugee camp. The family has been vetted by the Canadian government.

The Revelstoke group specifically asked for a large family because of the amenities the community has for children.

“We wanted a family with children because of the great activities for school-aged children in Revelstoke,” said Nelson. “We can offer great childhood support.”

With confirmation a family is destined for Revelstoke, Nelson said the group is looking into bringing another family to the community to help ease the isolation the refugee family may feel in their new home.

“We will support them as much as we can,” she said, adding the family will also be connected to other Syrian families that have moved to Salmon Arm, which is about an hour from Revelstoke on Highway 1.

“We are excited. We are getting our ESL (English as a second language) people trained at the college.”

Because it is a private sponsorship, Nelson said the group is responsible for the family's well-being for the first year including food, rent and other items.

The family will receive some financial aid from the federal government for the first six months they are in Canada, but not as much as if they were sponsored by the government.

Like other B.C. communities, one of the biggest challenges facing the group has been finding accommodation for the family, but Nelson said they are currently looking into an offer of a house for the refugees.

To date, the group has raised $49,000 of a $60,000 goal needed to support the family for a year.

Anyone wanting to donate can do so at revelstokecommunityfoundation.com.

For more information, see the group's FaceBook page.