COMPASS Refugee Centre

We are so thankful for the support and hard work of United Way Waterloo Region Communities, championing the charitable and not-for-profit sector. Today, the COMPASS team is participating in the MARCH OF 1,000 UMBRELLAS to help highlight the critical fundraising and collaborative work of this vital umbrella organization in our region!

Thank you, OpenText (://www.opentext.com/) for your generous donation of the amazing "Canadian Welcome Kits" for our clients. What a great team-building exercise to have your staff put these kits together for COMPASS.

Thank you Volunteer Waterloo Region for making this event happen!

If your local business would like to support us while hosting a team-building activity like this, please connect with Josi at the COMPASS office.

519-571-1912 ext. 103 or [email protected]

COMPASS Refugee Centre invites applications for the Board of Directors.

Who we are:
COMPASS Refugee Centre is a community organization based in the Region of Waterloo that has served people seeking refuge in Canada for nearly forty years. Our vision is that every person coming to Canada seeking refuge will have unhindered access to justice and the opportunity to thrive in welcoming communities.

What we do:
COMPASS staff assist refugee claimants through the complex and often lengthy approval process. They accompany refugees as they adapt to dramatic changes in their lives and access housing, education, employment, medical care, and other resources necessary to build fulfilling and productive lives in their new homes. COMPASS staff and board members advocate for refugees to governments and within our communities to ensure that policies and public attitudes toward refugee claimants reflect an ethos of hospitality. (For more information, including testimonials of people who have been served by COMPASS, see: https://compassrefugee.ca/ )

The role of the Board:
Our volunteer Board of Directors has an important role. We set the strategic direction, provide financial and governance oversight, and advocate for the resources and public policies that are necessary to fulfill our vision.

If you share our vision and would like to discuss a possible role on the Board or one of its committees, we invite you to review the description and expectations of Board members which you can find on our website here: https://compassrefugee.ca/about-us/boardofdirectors/.

You can use our contact form also found on our website here: https://compassrefugee.ca/contact/ using BOARD INTEREST in the subject line to be connected to a board member who will be happy to arrange a conversation regarding your interest.

(Photo 1 by cottonbro studio; Photo 2 by Tima Miroshnichenko) https://www.pexels.com/photo/busy-business-people-at-the-meeting-5686082/ )

Thanks, Priyanki, for putting together bins of age appropriate books, toys and activities for children who are visiting our office with their family!!

Support COMPASS today at https://compassrefugee.ca/give/

We said goodbye to Patrick and Nicholas last Friday as they wrapped up their internship at COMPASS. We wish them well in their second year of law school at Western!

Why do we do what we do? And why do we participate in Ride for Refuge every year? It's a long story! Watch this video of Josi who provides a great intro to the story, and launches this year's chapter of COMPASS and Ride for Refuge.

It's a Long Story: Josi The Ride for Refuge is a family-friendly fundraising bike + walk in support of local charities serving people seeking hope, safety, and freedom. https://ride...

We are excited to now be partners with Donate A Car Canada! This is a great way to raise funds for COMPASS that will go toward food supports, interpretation costs, general program delivery, and so much more!

This is from Jeanette, who was representing COMPASS at Creekside Church on Tuesday. Her giftedness takes this to a whole new, awesome level; what a blessing for everyone. THANK YOU to Creekside for the opportunity to share, and for your generosity to COMPASS!!

"I had an epic time at Creekside's EPIC camp! It was so awesome to be invited to share about the great work of COMPASS and how kids can help make our community a welcoming place. Each grade group spent some time packing baggies of snacks and school supplies for us to hand out at the office."

You can support COMPASS, too!

Go to https://compassrefugee.ca/give/ TODAY and pick your IMPACT!!

We are excited to add 15 quilts to our donation cupboards! Thank you Waterloo County Quilter's Guild and Megan Stauch who delivered them.

What a wonderful day it was as we celebrated our annual COMPASS is all of us picnic!! For the second year in a row, MCC Ontario joined us with some of their sponsored families, and the Creekside BIG SERVE team was over the top! THANK YOU to everyone, especially the families who came, shared great food, and played a lot of amazing games!

A huge shout-out and big thank you to Manuela (5+ years) and, Wilma (10 years) for their long-standing volunteer services with COMPASS. We had an opportunity to celebrate them at the Ontario Volunteer Service Awards. Also, a shout out to Lisa, (10 years+) and all our other volunteers who give so generously of their time and skills. We are so blessed to have such wonderful, dedicated people choosing us to make their impact. COMPASS is all of us!

Thank you to the quilting team of Vicky, Cathy, Marilyn and Marg who made this beautiful quilt for COMPASS!! These kinds of gifts are filled with love and warm our hearts to no end!!

We pulled out the Jenga today over a lunch that celebrated Daniel's time with us as a caseworker. He finished that role today, and he will be missed by many, especially clients. But good news!!

After a good break over the month of July, he will return in a part-time role continuing his contribution to our Interpretation and Translation Program. Under his leadership, this program has become one of the best around. We will miss him being here everyday but celebrate that he is now a Court Interpreter in high demand!!

Thank you, Daniel. You have been a gift to COMPASS and we are a stronger team because of you!!

Thank you to Josi and Natalia for representing us so well at the United Way Golf for a Cause event yesterday at Whistle Bear!

To support COMPASS today go to https://compassrefugee.ca/donate/?form=GIVING

COMPASS works for the day when all people who have been forcibly displaced have unhindered access to justice, and opportunities to thrive in welcoming communities.

Choose your impact for today: https://compassrefugee.ca/give/

It was wonderful to be invited to the SVP Summer Social as one of three charities that SVP is investing in for 2024. We are particularly excited about SVP Teens and the difference they are making with several charities. This group is open to all teens, and we have been thrilled to see some youth from families that COMPASS is helping.


Choose your impact today: https://compassrefugee.ca/give/

Look what we did!!


When you support COMPASS Refugee Centre, you are supporting an organization that walks the talk. Your donation impacts the people that are served AND the team that serves them!

To give today go to: https://compassrefugee.ca/donate/donate-now/?form=GIVING

Supporting Fathers and Mothers - https://mailchi.mp/compassrefugee.ca/supporting_fathers_and_mothers

The Canada-U.S. Border Rights Clinic hosted by COMPASS has a new logo, in both English and French. With constantly changing legislation on both sides of the border, this virtual clinic will be a game-changer. Access to correct and compassionate legal counsel will help to ensure many get the protection they desperately need.

This is one of several key programs that COMPASS provides to ensure access to justice. My Giving Circle is eager to help us get the resources we need to keep providing the best services refugees can get. They have invited us to share in a $70,000 grant pool to be distributed amongst several organizations. This is dependent only on your vote.

We could receive $1,500 of that grant. Please vote for us to share in a $70,000 grant at https://mygivingcircle.org/compass-refugee-centre-inc.

Kristin (L., staff lawyer) and Jenn (R., Clinic Coordinator) are enjoying working from Kristin's farm for the virtual Canada-U.S. Border Rights Clinic being hosted by COMPASS.

We love when people bring us food. This beautiful plate of cantaloupe and grapes was an extra treat. Thank you Schola!!



To support COMPASS today, go to https://compassrefugee.ca/donate/?form=GIVING

We were glad to be at the Libro After 5 Chamber of Commerce Event on June 6th. We had great conversations with many from the corporate sector, and the event was a tremendous support to the Waterloo Region Food Bank, host location.

Strong communities happen because of collaboration between many different sectors.

To support COMPASS today go to https://compassrefugee.ca/donate/?form=GIVING.

So thankful for the Google team that was here today for Google Serve. They supported some of our clients in Employment Readiness, going over resumes, doing some interview preparation and role play, and orienting to job search sites.

COMPASS is all of us, enCOMPASSing others for community!!

To support COMPASS go to https://compassrefugee.ca/donate/?form=GIVING

(some pictures altered to protect identities and/or sensitive information)

Thank you to our SVP team that facilitated our Board and Staff retreat on June 3rd. Each staff member shared their heart and perspective on what makes COMPASS unique and so impactful. Board members were able to ask lots of questions, think about priorities over the next months, and begin to think about strategic focus and initiatives for 2025 and beyond.

A BIG WIN FOR REFUGEE RIGHTS - https://mailchi.mp/compassrefugee.ca/northern-stars-monthly-impact-report-6243504

A big thank you to the Caring Connection Quilters. They create beautiful quilts that are such a gift to our refugee friends who arrive with so little. Yet, it's more than a quilt. It is a covering of love and a statement of a person's value that can often be lost in the journey of seeking refuge!

To support COMPASS Refugee Centre go to
https://compassrefugee.ca/donate/?form=GIVING

Congratulations to Marcela on being nominated for the Senior of the Year Award 2024. We are grateful for all the time and dedication she gives COMPASS.

STOP!! WE HAVE BIG NEWS!

The RIDE FOR REFUGE 2024 CAMPAIGN officially launches today! That means it's time to gear up once again for this amazing annual family-friendly fundraising bike + walk event held Saturday, October 5, 2024.

We are back at Doon Valley Golf Course for a day of fun, amazing scenery, great food, and time with a whole lot of change-makers just like you!! WHY??

Because the world needs refuge, and you can make that happen for so many! By building a team that rocks, walks, and rides to raise funds for COMPASS, you ensure refuge for people right in your own community! This is social fundraising at its best!!

To learn more, and to get started go to: https://rideforrefuge.org/location/kitchenergrandriver

It was wonderful to have SVP visit with us!

We are pleased to celebrate with Priyanki and her family as they became Canadian citizens last week! Priyanki joined the COMPASS team as an intern in February and began working part-time with us in April. She loves working with people to help them apply for, or renew, work permits and has been a great contributor to the development of our Good Neighbour Teams! Congratulations Priyanki!!