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Three men and a mission Trio of area immigrants honoured for sponsoring 1,600 refugees Monday January 21, 2002 BRIAN CALDWELL RECORD STAFF; THE RECORD Ned Krayishnik was watching the nightly news when scenes of a bloody massacre in the former Yugoslavia flashed across his television screen. It had been more than 25 years since he fled the war-torn country himself, learning the language, starting a family and building a successful insurance business in Kitchener. But at that moment, as he tried to absorb the misery in his old homeland from the comfort of his new living room, Krayishnik knew he had to help. He just didn't realize his commitment would last so long or run so deep. In the decade since that 1992 report on civil war in the former Yugoslavia, Krayishnik has sponsored more than 800 people to come to Canada as refugees. "Once you bring one, everybody has a brother or a cousin and it never stops,'' he said. "I would feel guilty if I was able to help them and didn't. You've got to live with that.'' Even in a community well-known for welcoming refugees from around the world, Krayishnik, 58, has distinguished himself with the impeccable results and sheer volume of his sponsorship work. But when he steps to the front of a Kitchener citizenship court today to receive a certificate of appreciation signed by Prime Minister Jean Chr�tien, he won't be alone. Two other local men -- John Veenema, 71, of Cambridge and Ranko Rakanovic, 63, of Kitchener -- will also be honoured for putting their good names and financial stability on the line to help bring hundreds of desperate people here. "We've kept very close track of them and I can't recall even one case where any of their clients has had to go on welfare or anything else,'' said Klaudios Mustakas, manager of the Citizenship and Immigration Centre in Kitchener. Backed by a church or working with five-member groups, Krayishnik, Veenema and Rakanovic have sponsored more than 1,600 refugees in the last 10 years. To put that in perspective, it's estimated there have been just 30,000 private sponsorships in the entire country during the same period. Each case requires them to guarantee, in writing, that they will assume full financial responsibility for newcomers for the first year. And though they delegate much of the burden to friends, relatives, churches or ethnic organizations closest to the refugees, they also work long hours doing everything from enrolling children in school to finding their parents jobs. Immigrants themselves, Krayishnik, Veenema and Rakanovic share a drive fuelled by sympathy, faith and an inability to say no. But like the many beneficiaries of their efforts, they also have their own unique stories to tell. Ned Krayishnik knew life in the former Yugoslavia would be difficult when he was denied jobs as a young man because of his family's politics. When it got worse as the Communist government cracked down on its perceived enemies, he realized he would have to go or risk being killed. In 1965, then just 21, Krayishnik fled the country illegally and made his way to a refugee camp in Italy, where he languished for a year. By the time he was accepted into Canada, alone and with limited English, his five-foot, 11-inch frame had been reduced to a scrawny 105 pounds. Krayishnik took a dirty, demanding job in a Kitchener factory paying 92 cents an hour. Six months later, his left hand was cut off in an industrial accident. Krayishnik persevered in the factory after months of rehabilitation, sponsoring his wife to immigrate a few years later. When a sympathetic insurance agent suggested he trade his blue collar for a white one, Krayishnik went into insurance sales, thriving in a business that rewarded initiative. He also began helping other relatives get out of Yugoslavia before it was too late. By 1976, Krayishnik had sponsored 30 immigrant families in all and done well enough in business to establish his own insurance brokerage. He was enjoying the fruits of his labour, a successful entrepreneur and father of two, when images on TV caught his attention in 1992. Krayishnik flew to Yugoslavia, taking food, clothing and other supplies to displaced people in camps. When one of them suggested he could do even more by backing his request to come to Canada as a refugee, Krayishnik began what would essentially become a second career. Together with his three brothers -- Andy, Ray and Ron --and wife, Lily, in a so-called group of five, he has since sponsored more than 800 strangers. It's only possible because so many others informally assume the obligation by providing money and support. Krayishnik's name is on all the documents, meaning he's on the hook if anything goes wrong. But because of his one iron-clad rule -- refugees must work and never fall back on social assistance while he is responsible -- it rarely does. "I feel grateful to God that for some reason he rewarded me so I was able to help all these people,'' he said. "I hope He will find a place for me when I leave this world.'' John Veenema was just a boy when he learned the lesson that would eventually change hundreds of lives. It was the end of the Second World War and people were pouring out of cities in his native Holland, forced to flee by fighting and famine. On the farm where he grew up, Veenema and his family were fortunate to still have a roof over their heads and food on their plates. But when dozens of strangers showed up on their doorstep, his parents didn't hesitate before offering help. One night, they had 37 guests. "Somehow, I got stuck with that,'' said Veenema. "It has never left me what my family did for others.'' Forty years later, after coming to Canada to earn a living selling farm supplies, he belonged to Maranatha Christian Reformed Church in Cambridge when it began sponsoring refugees during the exodus of boat people from Vietnam and other parts of Asia in the 1980s. Veenema, a father of five, took a keen interest in the program. And when enthusiasm in the congregation began to cool after a few years, he volunteered to take charge. Technically, the church still backs all of his work with the full weight of its financial resources. But when it comes to the nitty-gritty of answering letters, finding apartments and helping new arrivals apply for health cards, Veenema has long since become a one-man band. "Sometimes, I've been so busy it seemed like I was the only guy in North America doing this,'' said Veenema, who logs at least 50 hours a week on the cause. "It's amazing how many people around the world need help.'' When the immediate crisis in Asia passed, he turned his attention to troubled corners of Africa, including Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya. Now known far and wide as Uncle John, he has drawn on support in existing ethnic communities to sponsor at least 400 refugees in the last 10 years alone "and there would have been a thousand if immigration (officials) hurried up.'' It's a huge financial risk for a man of modest means, but Veenema said his faith in newcomers to pull their own weight has rarely been misplaced. "I have been burned, but never beyond recognition,'' he said. "These people don't come here to bum around.'' Ranko Rakanovic was anything but a do-gooder when he sponsored his first refugee more than 20 years ago. His initial motivation, he admits, was landing skilled workers for the Kitchener machine shop he started after fleeing the Communist regime in the former Yugoslavia in 1968. Unable to find employees here, Rakanovic placed ads in several international newspapers and connected with a machinist in Colombia. It was mutually beneficial -- the machinist got into Canada and he got a dedicated employee. Still, the more Rakanovic used his novel recruiting system, the more it took on a life of its own. By 1990, when he formed a group of five with his brother, Ili, of Cambridge, the thriving manufacturing business had turned into a virtual training school for refugees, primarily from Poland and the former Yugoslavia. "When I bring, say, 10 of them, they know other people and they call me,'' said Rakanovic. "It's very hard to refuse them, not to help them out.'' Of more than 400 refugees he has sponsored in the last decade, he estimates 150 have worked in one of five local plants the business now includes. Some remained just long enough to learn English and the skills needed to get jobs elsewhere. Others have become valued, long-time employees or started their own companies. "They are good citizens," said Rakanovic. "It worked good for this city and for this country, too, I hope.'' In the only case he remembers where one of his clients applied for welfare, he put in writing a pledge to pay the entire family's fare home if the head of the household didn't accept a job at one of his factories. He never heard from welfare officials again. "Oh man, it's lots of time, believe me,'' said Rakanovic. "And it cost me a little bit of money, but that's OK. I'm glad I helped those people anyway.'' Refugees come to Canada in one of three ways: On their own, making a claim to immigration officials when they arrive. Assisted by the federal government, which assumes financial responsibility for the first year or until newcomer fully employed. Sponsored privately by churches, community organizations or groups of at least five individuals. Sponsoring group responsible for all financial needs for first year. Of the 1,300-1,500 refugees to the Waterloo Region area each year, 300-400 are privately sponsored. Local government contact for information on private refugee sponsorships is Sandra Colbourne at 571-6817. http://www.therecord.com/news/news_0201218448.html �Kitchener-Waterloo Record 2000 225 Fairway Road South, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, N2G 4E5 519-894-2231 --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [email protected] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9WB2D Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
