Yukon College’s Syrian student refugee program committee is hosting a fundraising concert tonight at Gr8ful Spud to raise money to sponsor of a refugee student.
Plans were announced late last year to bring a student to the Yukon through the World University Service of Canada’s sponsorship program.
The committee has already raised three-quarters of the estimated $20,000 it will take to support one Syrian refugee to come study for a year beginning in August. The group needs to raise about $5,000 more by July.
Blue Creek and The Bennett Sun will perform at tonight’s fundraiser. Everything gets underway at 7 p.m. The cost is a minimum of $20 by donation.
This is the first time a school in the North has participated in the student refugee program. Since the program was established in 1978, 61 Canadian colleges and universities have sponsored more than 1,400 student refugees.