Our 2023 Winter Newsletter, BECOMMING NEIGHBORS, is out! See what our community has been up to the last few months–summer camp, soccer, coping with loss, welcoming new faces–and reflections on what’s to come. This post provides more details on each article and link to our complete edition.
BUILDING COMMUNITY
- Letter from the Executive Director. FRANCESCA ALLODI-ROSS.
A lot of people look to Romero House for hope. I know I do. A volunteer from Germany this summer commented that it was an example of what refugee welcome could look like: a vibrant housing community in a friendly neighbourhood. (Read more…) - REFLECTIONS FROM OUR FOUNDER: FIELD HOSPITALS. MARY JO LEDDY. Romero House Founder.
This fall I spent some time in various hospitals. It was an opportunity to reflect on the generous lives of my parents who spent most of their lives serving in hospitals. My stay in the hospital was mercifully short but meaningful. (Read more…) - ALI’S JOURNEY. JOAN LEISHMAN. Romero House Volunteer.
As we toured the McMaster campus in Hamilton we must have looked like Cheshire cats and after an agonizing and dangerous struggle, it certainly felt like we’d suddenly been tipped into a world as fantastical as Lewis Carroll’s “Alices Adventures in Wonderland”. Here, breathing freely at last, Ali Pouransari would begin his new life. (Read more…) - REMEMBERING JACQUES VERMEIREN (AUGUST 4, TO MAY 12, 2023)
Jacques Vermeiren was a refugee from Rwanda. He came to Canada in 2008, at the age of 18, and was a part of the Romero House community. In May 2023, he passed away suddenly at the age of 33. (Read more…) - 2023 ROMERO CAMP REFLECTION. NERIS CORTEZ DE SAINS. Romero House Former Resident.
The mere fact of waking up to see that beautiful sunrise, to be able to go to the lake and breathe that pure air, bathe in its rich waters, sail in a kayak or boat, fishing with family and friends, attending bonfires together, enjoying different cuisine every day. (Read more…) - MY FAVORITE THINGS. RUTH MACLEOD. Camp Director
Campfires and crokinole and running with the little tots… Fishing and swimming and after-dark walkabouts… Romero’s Got Talent and the cooks’ fabulous cuisine… (Read more…) - SOCCER UNITES COMMUNITIES AND SHOWCASES SPORTSMANSHIP. MERVENDRA NAIDU. Romero House Former Resident
Attending the soccer game with my sons was a wonderful experience that reminded me of the power of sports to unite communities. (Read more…)
