When Keli and Anderson* and their two sons David and Samuel stepped off the plane at Pearson International Airport in Toronto, Canada, uncertainty hung in the air. As Venezuelan refugees who had spent the last six years seeking asylum in Peru, they were carrying the weight of hardship and struggle along with their life’s belongings. Keli remembered the trepidation they felt; it was hard to envision a brighter future when past experience had prepared them for exclusion and prejudice. But as they emerged into the bustling airport terminal, they saw a group of people waiting for them with huge smiles, open arms and big signs that declared, “Bienvenidos! Welcome to Canada!”
To Keli, it felt as if they were greeting long-lost relatives, not strangers. “That changed everything for us,” she recalled emotionally, speaking through the interpretation of Joel Font, part of the computer support team at MCC Ontario and his wife Maria Alejandra. “In that moment, it was as if every sorrow from our past was swept away.”
Those strangers welcoming Keli and her family were all staff members at MCC Ontario. Darlene Bartha was part of the welcoming party at the airport that day. “They came right up to us and gave us hugs,” recalled Darlene. “It wasn’t just like ‘we’re embracing you, we’re welcoming you’, they were embracing us, too!”
This warm moment was a new chapter of a story that had started months before, when MCC Ontario leadership decided that sponsoring a family as an organization was an experiment worth trying.
"It's a way for us to live our values — deepening our commitment to supporting people who are vulnerable and uprooted."
“This is the first time we, as an office, have stepped into sponsoring a family ourselves,” said MCCO Executive Director Michelle Brenneman. “It’s a way for us to live our values—deepening our commitment to supporting people who are vulnerable and uprooted and becoming peacebuilders in our own community in a tangible way.” It’s also an intentional effort to explore the benefits of employer-supported volunteer initiatives which are on the rise in Canada.
MCC Ontario decided to sponsor a refugee family through the federal government’s Blended Visa Office Referred (BVOR) program which has several key advantages. The first is that the federal government pays for six months worth of living expenses for the family, which means the sponsoring group has a considerably lower amount of funds to raise to support the family over their twelve-month sponsorship. The second advantage is that the refugees on the BVOR list have already been identified by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees as vulnerable; they have been vetted and approved for travel. This means the time between being matched with a sponsor and arrival is measured in months instead of years.
The biggest challenge in preparing to resettle a family is housing. Christina Edmiston has walked this journey professionally as part of MCCO’s Migration and Resettlement team, and personally over the years, having joined seven sponsorship groups. “We were very fortunate that someone in the MCC community offered their condo to us for the year,” Christina says. It is in downtown Kitchener and within walking distance of many amenities and summer festivities.
Another piece of the puzzle was fundraising for the costs of the one-year sponsorship. Darlene took the lead in these efforts, in addition to rallying her coworkers and fostering a collective sense of responsibility. “We are doing this endeavour together—it’s not just the core team of six or seven—it’s all of us at MCCO. How do we open our arms wider?” she mused.
For Joel, joining the sponsorship group had special significance. He and Maria Alejandra and their son Sebastien were once refugees from Venezuela as well. They had arrived in Canada just a few years before and had the same challenges of uprooting their lives to start from scratch in a foreign land. “I always have it in my mind to help people,” Joel says. “When I arrived in Canada, many people supported me. Now it’s my chance.” But he’s quick to note that it’s a family affair. “We understand the challenges, and we want to help them adapt to life here.”
Anderson, reflecting on their support, shared, “Everyone from MCC has approached us with kindness, love and so much support. I can only say that this is God working for us.” For the first time in a long while, the family felt seen and cared for, a blessing they never thought they would receive.
"It’s sometimes overwhelming but we see it as God’s blessing.”
Over three months in, Darlene recognizes that while it was easy to dive into new adventures, the real test lay in maintaining those connections. “It’s harder to stay with things,” she acknowledged. “How do you keep up the ‘being the community’ for someone when you might not have the time or energy?” Misunderstandings due to language barriers can be awkward and tiring, too, but they also hold the potential for growth and deeper connection.
As Keli and Anderson’s teenaged sons began to settle into their new lives, they expressed something profound: they no longer felt alone. “When we need something, we know we can ask Joel and Alejandra, or Christina or Darlene —and more! They are all so kind,” Keli said, her eyes shining. “MCC is a big family that protects us and helps us settle here.”
While the journey ahead to building a new life in Canada is long and will surely face challenges, for Anderson, Keli, David and Samuel, the community of love and support surrounding them for the first time in many years has set the foundation for a good life. “It’s sometimes overwhelming,” reflects Anderson. “But we see it as God’s blessing. We are so grateful.”
If your organization is interested in exploring this life-changing work of refugee sponsorship, please contact Christina Edmiston at christinaedmiston@mcco.ca . And stay tuned to the Undercurrents podcast for the full story coming out in early November!
*Last name withheld for privacy.