Samantha Jackson and Farzin Yousefian were like many young couples, living in Toronto and preparing for a wedding date in March. They had everything lined up, from the venue to the caterer and it seemed as if it was moving forward nicely. That is, until they saw a photo that changed their life.
In September, they were planning their wedding as could be expected but they came across a photograph of a young boy. He was a three-year-old Syrian boy who drowned while his family were attempting to make a trip from Turkey to a Greek island. There were doing so on a small, flimsy boat and unfortunately, this young Syrian died when the boat sank.
It was at that point that the couple decided they were going to cancel their wedding and use the money to help the victims of the Syrian refugee crisis.
“We realized right away that our wedding would be a great opportunity to come together with our friends and family to support this cause, and transformed our wedding into a fundraiser with the hopes of helping a Syrian family start a new life in Toronto.”
Rather than hosting an elaborate wedding, they decided they would simplify things and exchange vows at the Toronto City Hall. This event took place on October 9 and afterward, they had a low-key dinner where they told guests to donate money in lieu of gifts. Their donations were to go to the Ryerson University Lifeline Syria Challenge. That organization helps members of smaller communities to become private refugee sponsors.
“We just called the venue and the caterers and we told them our plan. We said that we wanted to redirect our efforts towards this humanitarian crisis and they were immediately on board as well, which is great because they allowed us to cancel our existing reservation and refund our money to use towards this new cause.”
Since June, 2015, the bride was working with the Ryerson University Lifeline Syria Challenge. The organization helps to connect displaced Syrian families with Canadian families who act as private sponsors. They can help them in a variety of ways, including finding apartments and schools for their children.
To date, this young couple has been able to raise $17,500 toward their overall goal of $27,000.
If you are interested in making a donation, you can do so on the Ryerson University Lifeline Syria Challenge donation page. While there, select “Samantha Jackson & Farzin Yousefia” from the gift designation menu.
Via Yahoo
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