Four churches in Maple Ridge and one in Pitt Meadows have come together to sponsor two families of Syrian refugees.
Now they are trying to raise $104,000 to bring two brothers and their respective families – eight people in total – to Canada.
“We figured we could probably take a larger amount of people, rather than a family of three or four, with five churches involved. And this was a good way to keep a family together and not split them up,” said Leah Pillet, organizer and congregant of Maple Ridge Community Church.
The idea of sponsorship first came about in the fall of 2015, when Pillet and Leanne Cody, a member of Maple Ridge Baptist Church, got together.
They did some research and met with the ministerial officials of Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows at the monthly meeting of pastors.
NorthRidge Foursquare Church, Jubilee Church and Church on the Rock jumped on board. They are doing the sponsorship through the Mennonite Central Committee, which is taking care of the application part of the process.
The Maple Ridge churches are responsible for getting the volunteers in place, along with the finances.
All the paperwork was submitted last July and the families are expected to arrive here sometime this year.
The families are from Syria, but escaped to Lebanon, where they are currently waiting.
So far the group has raised over $80,000, and now is the final push to reach their goal.
More than 20 acts will be performing at a variety show. One of the main attractions will be a performance by The Kwerks, a folk band out of Langley that made it to the semi-final round of the CBC Searchlight nationwide competition.
Xtreme Theatre will have two groups performing excerpts from its upcoming musicals, James and the Giant Peach and The Little Mermaid.
Lighthouse Theatre will be performing an excerpt from its upcoming production of Beauty and the Beast.
Maple Ridge Christian school will have its seven-member boys choir perform, and The Luca Di Prata Band will also be performing.
There will be a silent auction, bake sale and a concession, with all proceeds going to the refugee fund.
Showtime
The Variety Show Syrian Refugee Fundraiser takes place at 7 p.m. on April 1 at Maple Ridge Baptist Church, 22155 Lougheed Highway. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 each or $40 per family. Tickets can be purchased at any of the sponsoring churches, or go to mrpmrefugee.com/events.