1^st meeting for new President Troy Stuebing. 

 

 

Congratulations  to Jim Kibble for receiving a community service award from the Hospice of Waterloo Region.

 

Congratulations to Judy Nairn for receiving the Rotarian of the Year award.

 

Troy mentioned in the meeting that he wants to have an all committee meeting as a regular meeting sometime in July or August so that committees could network and share ideas.   This would take place of a speaker. July 13 and Aug 10 have been slotted in for these summer meetings.

 

50/50 Draw  $262.25     Unsuccessful tickets drawn include

 

 

Emad spoke no English when he arrived in Canada 18 months earlier.  He is from Palestine, from Gaza City but moved to Jordan in 1978.   As Palestinians are stateless they always have to pay for education as private students.  Fortunately his father was well off and could help pay for his education.   He studies medicine in Sudan for 7 years then worked in Jordan specializing in Internal Medicine working for free because he was not allowed to work in Jordan again because he was Palestinian. 

 

Emad then went to Saudi to work but he was not allowed to bring his family in spite of several attempts made.   When attending an international medical conference, one of his colleagues suggested he go to America as it is easier to get a visa to visit.   While in the US he came across the border into Canada and requested refugee status.   As his sister was already living in Guelph he was granted refugee status and moved in with her and began his life in Canada. 

 

In the beginning, he neeed a translator for every little thing.  He sat down with his wife and made a 6 month plan to learn English.  He joined the ESL school and took a double load of classes and spent a lot of time listening to CBC Radio.   He would also go to Tim Hortons at Stone Road Mall and just sit and talk with seniors there.  

Since he use to work 36 hour shifts in the hospital in Saudi, he likes to be very busy so he also went to Lutherwood for workshops and learned about networking, Linked In and how to make a profile.  

 

Emad then volunteered as an outreach coordinator with a mosque in Guelph which eventually lead to part time work.    Then the refugee crisis hit and Emad got full-time work as a refugee services coordinator with the Muslim Association of Canada until just recently and he is now looking for work.  He loves to work helping people and really enjoyed working in the family matching program where he would match refugee families with Canadian families with similar makeup (number and ages of children etc)

 

When asked about how the refugee were doing he talked about a family that had been forced out of their home and lands 5 years ago and had lived for 5 years in a refugee camp.  Now they feel safe.  They feel thankful and they have a sense of hope.   However of the 1000 or so that are eligible to work in our extended geographical area most are uneducated and so end up with work on farms, as labourers, in restaurants and retail work.  Work that does not pay too well.   Most choose to use their first several months here to focus on language and try to learn the language specific to their vocation or trade. 

 

When asked how we can help, Emad said we should take a moment when we have the opportunity to speak with a Syrian refugee family and just talk and listen to give then the opportunity to practice their language skills and develop confidence in English. 

Emad said he was so glad he chose a good country – the right country for himself and his family. 

 

Jairus thanked Emad