Saskatoon sponsorship group hopes to 'make a difference' for 1 refugee family

Bridge City Neighbours, a group of about 30 people, is raising money to bring a refugee family to Saskatoon.

The group, which has a bake sale set for Sunday morning, is working with the Mennonite Central Committee, an agency with experience sponsoring refugees.

We just thought that there was something that we could do to help.- Gina Khonje

"We're just in the very early stages," Gina Khonje, one of the organizers of the new group, said. "But everyone has been keen to help in some way."

Khonje said the people in the group come from a variety of backgrounds. They are doctors, nurses, teachers and stay-at-home mothers who were moved by news reports about refugees.

"We've all just been aware of the stories on the news and really troubled by it — really burdened by it," she said. "We just thought that there was something that we could do to help."

The group hopes to sponsor a family of six members, or more, from either Syria or Iraq.

"Looking at the Syrian war and the sheer numbers of refugees is overwhelming and it's heartbreaking," said Khonje. "I think a lot of people think there's nothing we can do but I know what we're doing will make a difference for one family."

The group's kick-off fundraising effort, an hour-long bake sale Sunday, is set to start at 10:15 a.m. at Ebenezer Baptist Church.