Many of us have been thinking about how the Mount community can best support incoming Syrian refugees. Recently, a group of students, faculty and staff came together at the Mount to discuss how best we can help.

In the New Year, we hope to explore several initiatives:

  • Providing English language support within our programs as well as liaising with the school board to assist school age children
  • Working towards the sponsorship of a second student (designated from Syria) with the World University Service of Canada local committee
  • A backpack and school supply drive with the Mount bookstore (and you!)

We have learned that there will be several students whose university studies have been interrupted who will be arriving in our community in 2016. The biggest impact we can have is through supporting the university education of these students.

Mount bursary being established for Syrian refugee students

To that end, we have created a bursary fund to support one or more incoming Syrian students. You can donate online, as a lump sum, by setting up monthly payments or through payroll deduction (important note: on the online donations page, please select ‘Scholarships, bursaries or awards’ from the ‘Direct my gift to’ drop-down menu, then note ‘Syrian refugee bursary’ in the ‘Please specify’ box).

If you donate online before midnight on December 31, 2015, you will receive a donation tax receipt for this year.

If you’d prefer to donate by cheque, please send your cheque to:
Mount Saint Vincent University
Attention: University Advancement
Halifax, NS B3H 2R5

Please include a note specifying that your support is intended for the Syrian refugee bursary. To receive a donation tax receipt for 2015, mail must be post-marked before December 31, 2015.

Stay tuned for more information in the New Year. In the meantime, should you have any questions or wish to be part of this Mount effort, please contact Paula Barry, Associate Vice-President of Student Experience at Paula.Barry@msvu.ca or 902-457-6384.