behind at the hotel, Mad Science was coming.
Running and jokingly telling Chaker to “yalla”
(hurry up), John Kerr was one of the volunteers who
helped tie skate laces back at Charles Clark Square,
and was now in charge of the hockey game trip and
Mad Science event. Like many Canadians, he was first
moved by the Syrian plight when he saw a picture of
a toddler washed up on the shores of Turkey last
September. He met Chaker in January and “things
just took off from there.” Since then he’s also gotten
Zoo2you to agree and come give a show for the kids
at All Saints.
“You’d be surprised...people are very responsive,”
said Kerr. “Mad Science gave a very good price
because they want to be involved too. Because the
(refugees) are new to the community, it’s going very
well.
Roughly 30 kids packed the front of the room,
surrounding the Mad Scientist edutainer. Speaking
through a translator, he warns the kids the power
dryer might be a bit loud. The comment falls on deaf
ears; any noise he can summon up will compete with
the excited hullabaloo already in place. But the sight
of a power dryer unravelling an entire roll of toilet
paper all over the audience is enough to silence them,
followed by cheers in a foreign tongue calling for the
next act.
A bag is dragged out from under the table. With
gloves on, their new Mad Science friend reaches into
the bag and frees a handful of dry ice, which he
warns is cold enough even by Canada’s standards. To
emphasize his point, he places a loonie on top of a
single piece, letting his audience listen to its shrill
screams and frantic shivering before it drops to the
ground. The next trick elicits screams of delight; he
mixes the ice with water and dish soap, causing
bubbles to spill out of the container and all over the
table. These kids won’t forget these sights easily.
Once the day is over, the families head back to
their rooms at either of the two hotels the
Multi-Cultural Council is currently utilizing to house
the new Windsorites. With 145 people still waiting to
find housing, the MCC has been busy putting out
calls to various landlords trying to find affordable
and appropriate spaces for the families. And while
Windsor has been able so far to keep up with its
inflow, the MCC has had to ask for families of smaller
sizes, as the housing market for multi-bedroom
homes is growing tight.
Part of the funds towards the MCC are coming
from Project Syria, a University of Windsor based
student initiative to help raise monetary and
emotional relief for the refugees, which has over 150
volunteers to date. The project started when one of
the core founders, Farah El-Hajj, noted that many of
the refugees coming in were of school age and would
More than 800 people packed the Caboto Club for the Welcome Home To Windsor
dinner in February