Dinner supporting Syrian student refugees
Peter Clark Hall, the same place you get your bus ticket from and probably had to sit through some form of gruelling orientation game in, was a bustling centre of inspiration and laughs on the evening of March 7, 2016. Students, faculty, and guests alike donned their nicest semi-formal attire and brought wallets full of good intentions to Gryphons Care: A Fundraising Dinner Supporting Syrian Student Refugees.
The event, made possible thanks to the joint efforts of the World University Service of Canada’s (WUSC) Student Refugee Program and the Multi-Faith Resource Team on campus, immersed its patrons in a night of Syrian delicacies and festivities. Throughout the feast of hummus and pita, lentil soup, and a mouthwatering stew, guests were treated to a performance of “Dabkeh,” a traditional folkloric dance performed in Syria, by members of Nadja Now, a Syrian humanitarian relief and development foundation. Additionally, there was a presentation on Syrian history and culture, an inspiring speech from one of the Syrian students coming to the University of Guelph through the Student Refugee Program, and a monologue performed by a member of MTSpace, a not-for-profit arts and culture organization located in Kitchener-Waterloo.
Throughout the evening, guests had the opportunity to raise funds by participating in classic games such as Candy Count, and an interactive game of Heads and Tails led by Brenda Whiteside. There were also two dorm rooms, for which laundry soap, toiletries, bedding, clothes, textbooks and more were bought by guests for the two students that the university is welcoming. A silent auction ran throughout the night as well, with a few lucky patrons walking away with Leafs tickets, a spa package, a cappuccino maker and more.
The feeling of pride in the Guelph community for coming together to offer the help that it can to those in such an unfortunate situation was contagious. The ongoing refugee crisis has weighed heavily on hearts around the world since it became a major headline. It would have been easy for Canadians, with the luxury of geographic distance and relative political peace, to have turned a blind eye, or dismissed the problem as something for which they could do nothing about. The opposite has happened, with Canadians rallying together to provide private sponsorship for the vast majority of the refugees coming to Canada, and fundraising dinners, like the one held in Guelph, taking place all over the nation. The fact that the students at the U of G—typically broke and stressed out in the month of March—came out to emotionally and financially support two new members of their community who underwent so much to make it here, is a testament to the strong sense of community that Guelph is known and loved for. Thanks to the hard work put in by organizers and volunteers, and the big hearts shown by all those who contributed big or small, the event was not only a huge success, but also a great way to send a message to our two new Syrian students—Gryphon to Gryphon, we’re so happy you’re here, and we care.