June 2016

Canadians across the country came together to support evacuated residents from Fort McMurray. To date, more than $135 million has been raised by Canadians from coast to coast to support immediate emergency assistance, re-entry needs, and long-term community rebuilding for the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo.

Marial Mayom Riak and his uncle Anyuon Awan meet each other with smiles, hugs and a traditional greeting. It has been years since they last saw each other, but the two family members, from opposite sides of the world, are brought back together through the Red Cross and the Fort McMurray fire.

Three years after flooding destroyed thousands of properties across southern Alberta, a colourful new playground stands outside a brightly restored school in High River.
Where twisted metal, broken branches, thick mud and debris covered the area in 2013, children now swing happily between new play structures at Holy Spirit Academy. Funded by the Canadian Red Cross community grants program and other sponsors, the playground offers a lot of unique features, not only for students but the entire community.

“I’m so glad to be back in town,” says the feisty 86-year-old Jean Jensen, who locals affectionately call Grandma Jean. “I’ve been here over 40 years fighting for Fort Mac, and I’m gonna keep on fighting ... because I love it here."

Around the world, the Red Cross movement protects people who have been forced to flee their homelands in search of safety. Here is a snapshot of our work over the past year.   

​Every year on June 20th, World Refugee Day commemorates the perseverance of refugees and calls on the world to stand with those forced to leave their homes. At the Canadian Red Cross, programs like First Contact, in Vancouver and Toronto, and Restoring Family Links make a difference in the lives of refugees. This year, for World Refugee Day, we are highlighting some of the great stories of hope and survival from our blog in the past year.

Canadian Red Cross volunteer Laurence Lépine is a member of the Safety and Well Being Team working at the Welcome Centres in Fort McMurray. Members of the team have expertise in psychological first aid and assist people under stress in disaster situations. In Fort McMurray, Laurence assists people who have been under mandatory evacuation orders and are returning to homes that may have been damaged or destroyed by the wildfires that ravaged many areas of the northern Alberta community.

James Collier believes he and Rita Fudge were the first residents to evacuate when the wildfires were approaching Fort McMurray.
“When that fire hit the valley [across the river] I called Rita and told her it was time to get out,” said James. Soon after that call, he was home. They quickly hitched their camper to their truck and headed south. Leaving early, they avoided the mad rush that ensued when the mandatory evacuation order was issued and thousands of people raced to get out of town.