MCC Relief

C M Y K G7 Generosity changes everything Abundance Canada offers a strategic and customized gift planning service that enables you to benefit from complex donations, such as a gift in a will or a gift of publicly traded securities, to amplify your charitable giving now and in the future. Your generosity is an invitation to share with others and leave a lasting legacy. Learn more at abundance.ca or call 1.800.772.3257 to speak with a Gift Planning Consultant. Abundance Canada is a faith-based public foundation registered with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). Since 1974, we have helped individuals with their charitable giving in their lifetime and estate through our donor-advised model. Charity Registration No: 12925-3308-RR0001. CANADIAN MENNONITE UNIVERSITY Arts Dialogue Faith Science Community Music Mentorship Business Character Vocation Practica Peace-Justice Social Enterprise Brian P. Thiessen | David F. MacAngus 1586 Wall Street, Winnipeg MB R3E 2S4 Phone 204-942-6121 Over 60 Years of Quality & Service Congratulations to MCC for 40 years of successful refugee sponsorship Box 238 Letellier, Manitoba Canada R0G 1C0 S U P P L E M E N T T O T H E W I N N I P E G F R E E P R E S S | S A T U R D A Y , J U N E 2 2 , 2 0 1 9 in Wolseley and The Forks Market tallgrassbakery.ca Now the green blade rises Thank you MCC for bringing hope, social justice, creation care, and for supporting FREEDOM ROAD. 1-204-326-2532 Serving Steinbach and Southern Manitoba 1920s March 5, 1979 First 5 years 2015-2016 The Future 40 years Next year, the government has set a goal of welcoming 31,700 refugees to Canada. For MCC, this means recruiting and supporting sponsorship groups is of vital importance. We know the generosity of Manitobans will continue — whether as sponsorship groups or caring neighbours building community with newcomers. It was the early 1920s and the people of southern Russia were bearing the consequences of years of war and unrest. Here in Canada and the United States, the Mennonite community turned toward the suffering. Church congregations gathered food, clothing and money to be sent to their brothers and sisters in need. At the same time, thousands began the process to immigrate from the Soviet Union to Canada. By the end of the 1920s, more than 21,000 people had arrived in Canada as refugees, ready to rebuild their lives. Within the first year of the agreement, 667 refugees from Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Ethiopia immigrated to Manitoba through private sponsorship. Five years later, that number grew to 1,302 refugees sponsored by generous individuals, churches and community groups through MCC Manitoba. The crisis of displacement is unprecedented. Today, there are more people than ever before displaced from their homes by conflict, drought, flooding and other disasters. In 2017, the UNHCR reported a record 68.5 million people are displaced.* It's the equivalent of one person displaced every two seconds, with developing countries affected most. * United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees' Global Trends Report Fast forward 50 years. In the wake of the Vietnam War the plight of hundreds of thousands of "boat people" moved the Mennonite community to act once again. Representatives from MCC negotiated with the federal government to sign Canada's first formal private refugee sponsorship agreement on March 5, 1979. This agreement paved the way for thousands of refugees to migrate to Canada over the next four decades. Interest in private sponsorship reignited in 2015. The ongoing conflict in Syria awakened the compassion of the world, moving thousands of Canadians to action. Over a span of twelve months, more than 1,500 refugees arrived in Canada through MCC. In Manitoba, 207 refugees from Syria and Iraq arrived during that time frame. The crisis in Syria represents the largest increase in MCC's private sponsorship since 1979. OUR SHARED STORY 19 7 9 — 2 019 : 4 0 Y E A R S O F P R I VAT E S P O N S O R S H I P T H RO U G H M E N N O N I T E C E N T RA L C O M M I T T E E Now 40 years later, more than 3,300 refugees have come to Manitoba through MCC. From 1979 to 2019, kind and caring Manitobans have organized fundraisers, community BBQs and donation drives for things like clothing and household goods in order to welcome new friends with open arms. Newcomers have also embraced Manitoba — organizing summer programs for their children, youth and young adults and hosting block parties as a way to build connections with their neighbours. Sponsorship is an important model for helping those displaced by disaster and conflict rebuild their lives in a safe place. By matching refugees with caring and generous sponsors, they have both the physical support of housing and the emotional support of new friends. Thank You! Thank you to the thousands of Manitobans who've expanded their circle of neighbours, friends and family to include those who've fled conflict and disaster. Your support over the past 40 years has shaped our communities to be diverse and vibrant places for newcomers to call home. www.mccmb.ca

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