On Tuesday, May 31st, RCT joined CultureLink in downtown Toronto at a Donor and Volunteer Recognition event to celebrate the success of the Donation Distribution centre launched 6 months ago. Over the last 6 months, 554 families and 2182 refugees (2046 are Syrians) were welcomed at CultureLink’s #RefugeesWelcome Donation Distribution Centre.
As with any project impacting thousands of people, it was not an individual effort. The project required collaboration across sectors including non-profit, government, corporate, and of course the volunteers who always step up from within the community.
The distribution centre helped to provide many important items for refugee families from clothing, to furniture, to kitchenware. CultureLink has worked tirelessly with its partners to provide support for Syrian families from the time they landed in Canada, to the time they were settled into homes and children were enrolled into schools. RCT was happy to sit side by side with MPs, employees from local organizations, volunteers, and Syrian families to celebrate the success of these partnerships and look for opportunities to develop new ones.
Through Computers for Success Canada (CFSC), RCT was happy to assist CultureLink in providing one free laptop computer to more than 150 Syrian families over the past four months and will continue to support them by delivering computers until the project ends. This is an example of just one of over 31 partnerships RCT has forged with organizations across Ontario to ensure that Syrian Families have everything they need to succeed in a digital age. Each laptop comes equipped with pre-loaded digital modules such as job search, interviews tips as well as technical skills for setting up a wireless network and learning the software provided on their laptop. You can learn more about this program to provide all Syrian families landing between December 1st 2015 and December 31st 2016 with a laptop computer here.
RCT was proud to sit side by side with people and organizations who have worked, and will continue to work passionately to ensure that all new Canadians have the support they need to succeed amid all the challenges that come with starting life in a new country. It was a pleasure to enjoy traditional music, as well as a Syrian Children Nai Choir serenade us with songs of gratitude and welcome!
Syrian Children singing to a room full of families, partners, and volunteers
Although we celebrated with CultureLink the end of one of their projects we know this is truly just the beginning as we continue to support Syrian Families arriving in Canada until the end of the year. To date, RCT has delivered 850 laptops across the province to Syrian Families and cannot wait to build new partnerships every single day to deliver a projected total of 3000 laptops by the end of the year.
RCT Technicians celebrate the achievement and delivery of 850 laptops