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The Wakefield group has raised about $30,000, and plans to sponsor a second family.

The first family could arrive in a few days, or a few months, but the group is ready. They found a two-bedroom house in the village, which the landlord made available for a reduced rent, and furnished it with donated goods, from beds to pots and pans.

The offers of help were immediate, said Krekoski. Snowsuit for a three-year-old-girl needed? Done, instantly. “Every time we put something out there, the need is just filled automatically, with this overwhelming, heartwarming response.”

They have few details, such as whether the family is originally from a rural area in Syria or a city.

The family may choose to eventually move to Ottawa or another city. Most people in Wakefield, a rural area a 45-minute drive from Ottawa, have a car, but that might be too expensive for a refugee family on a skimpy budget. There is bus service to Ottawa, but only at rush hours.

“We just don’t know what they are going to want, what they’ll need, and what kind of life they’ll want to lead,” says Krekoski. “We’re going to do our very best and offer them our very best in this community we live in. If that works for them, great, they’ll stay and we’ll welcome them into the community. If they decide they want to move somewhere else, they are totally welcome to, and that’s 100-per-cent success as well.

“The point is to offer them a new life in Canada, a life of safety.”

When the Syrian refugees will arrive in Ottawa