and we have a lot to celebrate!

Spring has Sprung and our Garden is Sprouting!

Last year we launched our first community garden and we were so excited to see some of the plants have returned on their own. Carol has already been busy helping our children and families learn to plant and nurture their own sections of the garden. Some families even helped germinate the seeds until they were ready to be planted. This wonderful team effort is sure to produce a beautiful green space in no time, and hopefully some fresh and tasty treats too!

Keeping Children Engaged through the Lockdown

Our shelter staff have been finding creative ways to help the children staying at our shelter defeat the lockdown blues.

We recently hosted a ‘CRWC Book Club’ where a diverse range of reading material was offered in a beautiful display set up by two volunteers. This was made possible due to a generous donation from The Children’s Book Bank who supplied us with age-appropriate books for each of the 16 children currently calling Christie home.

Every month we provide the children at our shelter with materials for fun science, art, literacy and music activities. Although the strict lockdown restrictions have more it more difficult to access ‘non-essential’ items, our children’s programming staff have been working extra hard to keep spirits high.

Thanks to their their efforts, we’ve been able to also start sending program activity boxes to children who have recently moved out of the shelter so that they can join in too!

World Refugee Day 2021: Together We Heal, Learn, and Shine

The United Nations designated June 20th as World Refugee Day. It is an occasion to build empathy and understanding for the plight of refugees around the globe, while also recognizing their strength, courage, and resilience in rebuilding their lives.

Although we have to postpone our annual block party BBQ one more year and we won’t get to see your faces in person quite yet, your presence can still be felt. We decided to bring our celebrations online and we want you to join! Our ambitions this year are twofold – to highlight the ways we all can support refugees, and to shine a light on the ways refugees contribute to society and support us, their new communities. They get safety, Canada gets so much more!

For the month of June, we will be taking to social media to share information about how you can help refugees and support the important work we do at Christie. Even more excitingly, every Sunday leading up to World Refugee Day we will release the incredible story of one of our former clients which we will publish on our website. You don’t want to miss out!

Lastly, on Sunday June 20th WE CHALLENGE YOU to let us know how you are supporting refugees. Change your profile to the image above or make your own post letting people know why this is a cause that’s important to you.

#WorldRefugeeDay  #RefugeesWelcome  #StandWithRefugeesRaise awareness while inspiring others to make a positive impact on the lives of refugees in Canada and around the world. Together we heal, learn, and shine!!

 

Let’s uplift refugee voices and get their stories heard!