Syrian family set to arrive in Thunder Bay, Ont. on Friday

Friday is a special day for members of Right to Refuge in Thunder Bay.

The group,which is affiliated with Grassroots Church, will be at the airport to welcome the family of Syrian refugees they're sponsoring, to the city.The family includes a mother, father, and four children - two girls and two boys, aged two to 13 years.

"This moment, for this family represents the point where they'll be able to say they felt a little less like refugees, because they found refuge here in Thunder Bay," said group member Matt Denis.

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To that end, the group has gathered winter clothing, found a home and filled it with furniture. After much research and advice on the family's food habits and needs they alsostocked the cupboards with groceries, he said.

"To be honest, one of the first questions we'll be asking the family when they arrive and when they get to their home is 'Do you need anything else, is this food appropriate?'," said Denis.

"We really can make assumptionsand we don't want them to feel like we're pigeon-holing them, or being too specific in what we've decided they want," he said.

They can imagine a future where their concern goes beyond a daily struggle for survival,- Matt Denis

Members of Right to Refuge have tried to always remember that refugees are people who have lost everythingfrom careers to belongings to loved ones, said Denis.

"Their arrival in Thunder Bay is more than just another step in this uncertain journey they've been on," he said."They can finally sleep in a home they can call their own.

"They have dressers they can put their clothes in," he continued. "They can cook and eat the food they want to eat, when they want to eat it, and they can imagine a future where their concern goes beyond a daily struggle for survival."

In the coming weeks, Right to Refuge may reach out to the Thunder Bay community again, through its website, to ask for donations of size and age appropriate clothing and toys for the children, he said.