expression of compassion and charity that comes as
no surprise to those who know and love Windsor.
Case in point: Art Roth, the skate program
co-ordinator from All Saints Anglican Church. Asked
by Chaker if he would be willing to help teach 40
Syrian kids how to skate one Saturday in January, he
didn’t hesitate. Having worked with kids for years on
Charles Clark Square, where 50-60 kids a day is
common, 40 certainly didn’t sound like something
the church couldn’t handle.
The number ended up being closer to 100. Kids
who had been in Canada less than a month. Kids who
couldn’t speak a word of English. Kids who had never
seen ice skates before, much less had any use for
them. Kids who had to figure out how to balance on
the ice before even moving on it. Kids who were
doomed to trip and fly into each other repeatedly.
And kids who had a blast anyway.
“The eagerness that I see in these kids, I think if it
was a cold, cold day they’d be out,” said Roth. “With
a kid if you put him in skates and you keep him
active, he doesn’t feel the cold. That’s a lesson for a
lot of people who hate winter.”
Many of them have since come back to the All
Saints Church skate room, using hand gestures to
express their interest and to ask for skates. For this
Roth is thankful, because it shows that they are
comfortable in this environment, and know that they
will be treated respectfully.
After the fun was over once, with high fives,
handshakes and excessive use of the only phrase the
kids knew- thank- you- Roth was standing by the
doorway when one boy approached him.
“He was looking up at me, he had this big smile and it
appeared to me he wanted to kiss me,” said Roth. “I
quickly turned that kiss into a big hug, but in his
culture that’s quite normal, he was just showing his
appreciation.”
The affection crossed the culture barrier and
Roth said even the language barrier made almost no
difference that day. “Their big smiles were
communication enough for us.” And through the
introduction to ice skating, winter became a little
friendlier.
The same excitement of that day is also seen at
the Sunrise [