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North Saanich walking to support refugee family

People are invited to walk in support of a Syrian refugee family coming to the Saanich Peninsula.
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Sue Smith

People are being invited to walk in support of a Syrian refugee family who will be coming to the Saanich Peninsula through the sponsorship of seven area churches.

The Anglican Parish of Central Saanich — which includes St. Mary’s and St. Stephen’s Church — will be spearheading the walk this weekend.

The walk, titled Flight Path To Freedom, is open to the public and will begin at Holy Trinity Church and take walkers around the Victoria International Airport, via their nine kilometer multi-use trail called the Flight Path.

All ages and skill levels are welcome to participate, as there will be a 3.5, 5 and 9.2 kilometer walk to choose from.

John and Sue Smith are helping coordinate the fundraising effort on behalf fo the seven Peninsula churches, who are sponsoring the refugee family.

Sue said that the idea came out of a walk done for the past two years through another organization in Uganda. She said this year, they decided that because they’re getting a refugee family here, they wanted to have a fundraising effort closer to home.

She said the walk is a visual representation of their commitment. The activity also makes it possible for children to participate and contribute.

For the adults she said, they contribute through their donations to the church along with gathering their clothing, household items and more, making it a joint effort.

The walk will take place June 18 starting at Holy Trinity Church at the corner of West Saanich Road and Mills Road in North Saanich. Registration will take place between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. that morning in the parking lot of the church.

The cost to participate is $10 per person or $25 for a family of three or more. People are also welcomed to donate money to support the family coming to the Peninsula and income tax receipts will be issued for donations of $20 or more.

All of the money raised will go to support the sponsorship of the family. For more information people can visit parishcs.com or contact Sue at sueandjohn@shaw.ca.