GUELPH — A major effort is underway to bring 50 Syrian refugee families to Guelph in the coming weeks, a community-wide operation involving several faith groups, businesses, and social agencies. The entire effort is being backed financially by one Guelph entrepreneur.

Jim Estill, president and chief executive officer of Danby, is donating the cash to support those 50 families in their first year of settlement. Sponsors of Syrian refugee families are required to have $25,000 to $30,000 per family ready to provide life essentials for an entire year. By this formula, Estill's donation could total $1.5 million.

He confirmed his sponsorship on Tuesday, and said that supporting Syrian refugees is simply the right thing to do.

"This is not pure charity," Estill said in a telephone interview. "You are not just giving people money. You're setting them up to have a life."

Estill, a former director of Research In Motion (BlackBerry), is well known for starting a highly successful technology distribution business, EMJ Data, from the trunk of his car, building it into a company with $350 million in sales before selling it to Synnex. He served as the chief executive of Synnex for nearly five years.

In recent years he attempted to retire from the work of running a company. But when an opportunity arose to serve as chief executive and president of home appliance manufacturer Danby, he jumped at it. He has also written several books on business-related subjects.

A complex process has been ongoing over the past several weeks to formalize the sponsorships through government channels, and to bring several local contributors together to house, employ, feed and clothe the families once they arrive.

Families are expected to begin arriving within two months, Estill said. He has been orchestrating the effort, calling on business associates, friends, colleagues and agencies to put innumerable pieces in place to settle the families in the community.

Lakeside Church, the Salvation Army, the Roman Catholic community, the Muslim Society of Guelph, and Welcome In Drop-in Centre are just some of the local helpers in the effort. Estill said a broader call to action will be made as the arrival times are closer at hand.

Muhammed Sayyed is president of the Muslim Society of Guelph. He said Estill first expressed an interest in sponsoring 50 refugee families in September. Sayyed was astonished by the offer.

Work began immediately on the logistics of bringing as many as 300 refugees to Guelph, with Sayyed taking a lead role in the work to formalize the sponsorship agreements.

"I'm amazed at what the community is doing," Sayyed said. "The response is phenomenal right now."

Sayyed said organizers have access to profiles that give a brief description of the refugee families, and are able to choose from those profiles which families to sponsor. Over three million Syrians have sought refuge in neighbouring countries, while another 6.5 million are internally displaced.

"We will take those who are better able to fit into our society," Sayyed said, adding that many will be well educated, blue-collar workers. He expects some will start their own businesses in Guelph. He added that about 30 per cent of Syrians belong to non-Muslim faiths.

"Refugees will generally be a very hard-working and enterprising group, and I wouldn't be surprised if one or more of the refugees that come in are one of the next business leaders in the community," Estill said. "They will be productive, contributing members of society. And they will be grateful for the helping hand they've been given. The goal is not to make them dependent. The goal is to make them productive."

Estill said arranging short- and long-term housing will be one of the bigger challenges, given that Guelph has a very low vacancy rate. Accommodations have so far been arranged for a small number. Estill said there are jobs available, but matching individuals to those jobs will also be challenging.

"This is a crisis," Estill said, when asked why he took the humanitarian step. "Imagine if someone took all of your stuff and said, 'Pack a bag,' and then sent you across the river to a land where you don't really speak the language, where they are not going to recognize your experience or your credentials. That could be you. It's just doing the right thing, is all it is."

While some in Canada fear an influx of Syrian refugees may increase the terrorism threat in the country, Estill stressed the effort is strictly humanitarian in nature. It is about helping those who need help.

He said there will be many opportunities coming up for private citizens, companies and organizations to help with the effort in practical ways. Once the skill-sets of the refugees are better known, employment opportunities will be sought for them. Estill has reached out to many friends in the business community to get a better sense of what job opportunities and accommodations are available.

"You just ask, and people will do it," Estill said. "But you have to have someone who asks. I'm asking, and I'm asking other people to ask."

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He added that organizers are reaching out to professionals such as psychiatrists and psychologists to offer counselling services. A mentorship program is being established in both Arabic and English so that each family will have someone to help with practical matters such as how to get a health card, how to use a bus pass, and where to find the grocery store. English language lessons are also part of the planning.

The families likely won't arrive before Christmas, so things such as Christmas baskets are not needed. But coats, boots, mittens and other winter apparel are being sought, as the refugees will begin arriving in winter. Furniture donations are also needed. Contact the Salvation Army to donate.

Organizers would also like to hear from landlords willing to house refugees, particularly those willing to initially rent below market value, and waive the provision of first and last months' rent upfront.