During their Dinner and Business meeting this past Monday, the Almonte Civitan and Junior Civitan Clubs presented cheques from their fundraising activities in support of the Syrian Refugee Committee of Mississippi Mills (SRCMM) to Arnie Francis, Chair SRCMM, and Ingrid Kadoke. Alice Puddington, President Almonte Civitan Club presented a cheque for $6500.00, the proceeds of the Valentines Diner and Dance, held February 13, 2016. Robert Gardiner from the Almonte Junior Civitan Club presented a cheque in the amount of $200.00, the proceeds of their Mothers’ Day Breakfast, held May 8, 2016. The funds will be distributed equitably amongst the four groups in Mississippi Mills that continue to work tirelessly to support the Syrian families that have arrived and those that will arrive in the future. A huge THANK-YOU to everyone who supported the events, including those that prepared and served, and to everyone in the SRCMM. You make our community proud.
Meanwhile… elsewhere in Almonte the SRCMM was meeting to start the process of adaptation, from its initial role as a sponsorship and support agent to a more flexible coordinative role. The SRCMM has achieved its primary mission and has established a solid base for sponsorship and resettlement in the community. Into the future, the SRCMM’s role is to perform a more modest function as a community point-of-contact mechanism, as a facilitator for sponsorship and resettlement efforts undertaken by current or future sponsorship/constituent groups and as a coordinating and administrative support unit for constituent groups. In that theme – to more effectively reflect the changing purpose of the SRCMM – the group changed its name from the “Syrian Refugee Committee of Mississippi Mills” to the “Sponsorship and Resettlement Council of Mississippi Mills”. The new SRCMM will comprise four Council Officers that are the formal representatives of the four member constituent groups, with a rotating chair. In addition the Council can appoint Ex-Officio coordinators to support it. Arnie Francis will assume the role of SRCMM Coordinator in the interim to facilitate the transition. Other coordinators will also be appointed, as needed.
Fundraising will continue depending on need. The generosity of the Almonte Civitans and the Junior Civitans will most certainly directly assist newcomer families. In addition community support, like five year old Lucas Ibrahim’s donation of his birthday money in April, will continue to galvanize our collective consciousness, despite flagging media interest globally in this crisis at present.
The SRCMM in its new structure will continue to engage local efforts, including hosting a Roundtable of area sponsorship groups from Arnprior, Renfrew, Carleton Place and Perth on June 13 in Almonte.
