Summer 2023 Fundraising and Needs
Hi everyone,
We’re really excited to be moving ahead with our sponsorships this summer; the fact that we have raised over $36,000 continues to astound us. It’s for that reason, and the incredible support that we’ve gotten from our Sponsorship Agreement Holder (SAH) that we’re going to be submitting the paperwork for the first two members of the Smith family. We’re so excited.
Let me tell you about what events are coming up and the needs that we still have for this process. This summer, we are holding two major fundraising events.
The first is a long-distance bike ride on June 17th that will hopefully be an allegory of the progress that we will make in sponsoring this family. I have plotted a $114km route around the city, which will hopefully represent us raising the total $114k that we need in order to bring the whole Smith family to Canada. Please check out the promo video I made here and the event page here for more details on how you can get involved.
Afterwards, on June 24th, we are hosting a neighbourhood bike wash / tune up. This is all done by donation, and will be run by myself and a couple of other friends who have experience in cleaning and maintaining bikes. If you have a filthy bike, flat tire, or a bike with gears that don’t shift well, please put this date on your calendar. More details to follow.
I’m really looking forward to seeing the engagement and support that we get during these events; one of our needs is the continued inspiration on continuing this long process, and our community in Vancouver has been giving that to us in spades. But, there are two important needs that we still need met:
We need two more co-sponsors to sign up with us and help take care of the Smiths when they arrive in 2025 or 2026. This means calling them, helping them get to appointments, or even helping them navigate public transit. There are no qualifications necessary, except that all co-sponsors need to be Canadian citizens. Living in Vancouver proper is a plus, although not necessary since a lot of support can be done over the phone.
Ultimately, it’s our goal to reunite the entire Smith family in Canada. We were transparent with them early on that raising the total finances needed might take a while, and so the Smiths decided that two of them would come in the “first wave” and then the rest would come as we had money. We are still looking for donors who want to partner with us and give this well-deserving family a chance at living in a community that values them and keeps them safe. The way the finances work out, there are a few donation tiers that directly correspond to buying them time in Canada:
$18.99 for 8 hours in Canada. Imagine being able to give one of them a night’s sleep where they don’t have to worry about being harassed by immigration police.
$56.98 for 24 hours in Canada. They will have a full day to enjoy their community and apply themselves to whatever they want without the anxiety of being persecuted for their religion.
$398.86 for a week in Canada. Although the Smiths are eager to start work as soon as possible, we’re encouraging them to use some of their early days in Vancouver to improve their English and make progress on a certificate. Imagine giving someone the means to attend class for a week and let them build skills and knowledge that will provide for them and their family for the rest of their lives.
