News

Summer camp continues! Last week, we made salads with the harvest of our very own on-site community garden. We also made our very own yummy lemonade using freshly picked mint and herbs. A salad making competition ensued. Honourable mentions to campers who won ‘most colorful salad’, ‘most salty salad’ and ‘salad that reminds you of home’. Kids came up with all the categories, taste-tasted each of their creations and voted for each other. Too special. . . . #refugeechildren #summercamp #refugeesintoronto #torontosummercamp #torontosummercampsforkids

We’d love your support with our upcoming BACK2SCHOOL drive! This year, we are supporting 37 children living in shelter with back-to-school supplies and backpacks; we are also supporting 50+ children who have recently moved out of Christie but will need help accessing school supplies. This year, school supplies will also go to unaccompanied and separated children and youth supported by our Centre for Refugee Children. @crcrefugee Email us if you’d like to get involved! . . . #refugeechildren #backtoschool #refugeefamilies #refugeeshelter #backtoschooldrive #helprefugees

Thanks to the wonderful @triconresidential.toliving team for the fresh coat of paint in both of our resident buildings today! We are grateful! Christie houses 30 families in two buildings, with over 30 children between both buildings. Walls, hallways, corridors are apt to feel the wear and tear of a 24/7 emergency shelter space housing energetic young people and families sharing common living spaces. This is the 2nd year @triconresidential.toliving has painted our resident spaces for us. Thank you! If you are a corporate group who’d like to get involved with supporting Christie’s shelter residents, please get in touch! . . . #refugeeshelter #refugeehouse #refugeefamilies #emergencyshelter #corporatevolunteering

Exciting news! 🚴🏽‍♀️🚴🏿‍♂️ The Ride for Refuge returns on Saturday October 5th and Christie is looking to raise more support for refugee families than ever before! Join us to support the Christie Refugee Welcome Centre in reaching our goal of fundraising $150,000! Sign up now to be a team captain and complete your ride with a team in support of the refugee families we serve! (link in bio for sign-up and more info) . . . #rideforrefuge #teamcaptain #supportrefugees

We are now accepting new and gently used summer clothing! Please email donations@christiestreetrc.com to coordinate a drop off date. Thank you! . . . #donationsneeded #refugeehouse #refugeesintoronto #clothingdonation #refugeesmatter

Christie’s summer camp for 6-12 year olds kicked off last week! Friday saw the group design their dream playgrounds and visit Neshama Playground - a fully accessible playground for kids of all physical abilities. The day was about celebrating play and imagination. . . . #summercamp #playtolearn #accessibleplaygrounds #refugeechildren #refugeechildreneducation #refugeehouse #refugeesintoronto #summercamp2024

It was World Refugee Day last Thursday and at Christie Refugee Welcome Centre we threw a party! Because celebrating ourselves and holding space for joy is an act of resistance! At Christie, we believe that community care is about using our power, bandwidth and resources to support and provide for our communities when the systems we exist in don’t. Thank you to our community of neighbours, donors, Board Members, volunteers, former residents, staff and family, and random passerby for coming out on World Refugee Day to amplify our message: refugees deserve welcome, safety and support — always. . . . #worldrefugeeday #refugeehouse #refugeesintoronto #refugeechildren #refugeefamilies #communitycare #worldrefugeeday2024

Beating the heat with mini ice-cream!!! Our Children’s Program is super lucky to have a Baskin Robbin’s (who scoops generously) nearby. @baskinrobbinscanada Generous scoops not pictured. Instead, see how the kids got creative and made mini versions of their ice cream cones! . . . #childrensprogram #refugeechildren #refugeeshelterhouse #icecreamtime

Christie residents began their community garden this week! Yesterday, a few women living at the Centre joined staff to pick out flowers, herbs and vegetables of their choosing to plant in Christie’s on-site community garden! Last week, families helped ready the soil and the “land” of the garden. Christie’s community garden provides families with access to gardening and planting - activities which have been proven to be beneficial for mental health. The harvest of the garden is donated to our on-site kitchen and is used to cook nutritious meals for the families. Previous harvest has included kale, tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, herbs, and peppers. The Children’s Program also uses the space during the summer months for programming; assembling summer salads and making tasty lemonade with the garden’s various herbs. Let’s see what this year’s harvest + summer season bring! Many of Christie’s residents had land and managed farms back home; this garden is in very good hands! . . . #refugeeswelcome #communitygarden #communitygardening #refugeesintoronto #gardeninspiration #mentalhealthgardening