As the tears rolled and the gratitude overflowed, a Syrian refugee family couldn’t hold back the emotion it felt when a Grade 7 class handed over new computers and equipment last week.

Mazen and Dina Khalaf with their twin sons Youssef and Ibrahim, 10, and Mohamad, 14, were left stunned as the 28 students from Alexander Muir Public School along with teacher Amanda O’Donnell gathered in the Newmarket school’s front foyer to present them their gifts.

The Khalaf family has been on a remarkable five-year journey.

Mazen explained to the amazed pupils how he had to carry one of his wounded sons 70 kilometres to a refugee camp over a three-day marathon walk the family had to make back in 2013. That survival trek took place after the Khalafs were bombed out of their home and they were then forced to spend years in the refugee camp in Lebanon before finally coming to Canada about a year ago.

The Khalafs have lived in Newmarket since the fall of 2017 with Mazen earning a living working at a local gas bar. They were privately sponsored by a local York Region group who anted up over $32,000 to sponsor the family for a year.

After reading about their story in local media, the students at Alexander Muir, who happened to be studying the Syrian refugee crisis at the time, decided to swing into action.

With the guidance of their teacher, Amanda O’Donnell, and help from a local greenhouse, they launched a Mother’s Day fundraiser and sold flowers.

The students then purchased laptop computers from a local Staples. They also got an assist from a private donor who wished to remain anonymous and donated a computer for the parents to assist them with learning English. The donor also purchased a printer for the family and other needed supplies.

O’Donnell told the family, “We’re so lucky here. We have so much technology, we understand how important it is for the kids to have access, there are so many apps and software that can help them.”

Anwar Alomar, a close family friend of the Khalafs who came along as interpreter, told the students that Mazen is “overwhelmed with what the kids did.”