Two inn owners are asking for the public’s help in their quest to bring three Syrian families to the Bonavista Peninsula.
Karen and Chris Ricketts’ mission to bring the three families of refugees to Newfoundland began in 2021, when they received an email from a Syrian woman looking for someone to sponsor her family after seeing Eid celebrations the Round Da Bay Inn hosted.
Karen says there was something about her email that compelled them to help.
The woman wrote that the ANC in St. John’s were the first people to give them hope, so the couple called the ANC and learned it takes only $13,500 to sponsor a family of four, as they could provide lodging in the inn.
They then learned of another family needing a sponsor through a friend from Syria, and they decided to sponsor the family of six. After posting updates of the process on social media, they heard from a third family who had been living in a refugee camp for 10 years.
Mohamad and Leila and their children Hevi and Mosaud
The couple had to tell them they didn’t have the money to sponsor them, but shortly after, received an anonymous donation of the exact amount needed to sponsor them, so they went back to the family and accepted.
The three families are now making their way through the immigration process, with two of them having finished their final interview and received “Welcome to Canada” letters.
To ensure the families have an opportunity to build a life, the couple purchased a partially built house in King’s Cove for $18,000 and have been renovating it ever since for the families to move into.
However, costs have started to add up, and the couple have sold a classic car, a rare dinky collection and pieces of Chris’s art to help pay for things. They are now turning to the public for support. Those wishing to donate can do so online.
