Family Reunification PEI (FRU-PEI)
Members of Cooper Institute have been involved in a newly formed organization, Family Reunification PEI. Its main purposes are: to encourage the arrival and settlement in PEI of lower income immigrants who have family as residents in PEI; and to provide financial assistance to such immigrants, who are provincially nominated (PNP), especially, though not exclusively, those from Central America and the Caribbean.
FRU-PEI supported two families as they put in their applications to PNP and to the Canadian Embassy in Guatemala. FRU has raised funds to bring the families, totalling eight people from El Salvador. This represents the reunification of Yolanda Recinos and Ricardo Medina (who came to Montague as refugees in 1993) with their two daughters and their families. One family arrived in April and the second in September.
FRU-PEI raised $14,461.87 to pay Right of Residence Fees, travel costs, and initial incidental household set-up for the families. The organization solicited one-year basic needs support for each family. Only Our Lady of the Assumption Parish in Stratford agreed to accept sponsoring the family in this way, which means the Parish raising $24,000. FRU-PEI has had to take on the role of sponsoring the second family and has donations of a little over $19,000, (with about $6,000 yet to be raised). Besides economic support, FRU is providing transportation and translation for medical examinations and follow-up tests, visual examinations, and dental appointments for the eight new people. The new residents live in Charlottetown and are all in language school.
Churches, religious congregation, community organizations, and individuals have made the above generous donations. St. Paul's Anglican Parish in Charlottetown provided many of the household items and some warm clothing for the families.
FRU-PEI is in its final appeal stage of requesting charitable status from Canada Revenue Agency.