The path to financial independence has come relatively quickly for the Elahmad family, but their road to success was built on hard work and perseverance, as well as a community willing to give them opportunities.

Khaled Elahmad, his wife and their four daughters moved to the community last February, after they were sponsored by the Syrian refugee committee from St. Johns United Church.

While the family continues to overcome language and cultural barriers, Elahmad and Nisrin are determined to provide a better life for their children.

In September, he landed a job at Peter Thompson & Sons, an Alliston company that manufacturers hardwood flooring. The position was a perfect fit for Elahmad, who used to work at a window-manufacturing factory in Lebanon.

His first task was to grade lumber, but his skills didn't go unnoticed for long. He was soon promoted to the dimension department, where a keen eye is needed to sort materials for different types of flooring.

The company has since hired two more Syrian refugees Joseph Talia, who lives in Alliston with wife Nadi and their four girls; and Mohammed Aldiri, who lives in Shelburne with his wife and their seven children.

They are all such hard workers, said human resources manager Amanda Labatte-Dawe. It also made perfect sense to hire Khaled because he had the experience.

The downside of working full time is that Elahmad and Talia can no longer attend English classes, which are only available during the day. However, Aldiri, who speaks a little English, is helping them learn on the job by teaching them some words and phrases.

The Canadian dream is well within grasp for the Elahmads, but the same can't be said for many of the Syrian refugees who came to this country.

According to the federal government, only half of privately sponsored refugees, and just 12 per cent of government-sponsored refugees, find employment during their first year in Canada.

With the Elahmads youngest daughter now old enough to attend school, Nisrin has been able to start planning for her own career. Recently she was invited to put on an interactive cooking demonstration at the churchs Ladies Laugh, Lunch and Learn, a monthly event that brings people of all cultures together to talk and enjoy a meal.

During the hour-long demonstration, Nisrin showed lunch-goers how to make two staples of Syrian cuisine: tabbouleh, a fresh salad of parsley, tomatoes, bulgar, lettuce and cucumber; and falafels, which are small deep-fried patties made with chickpeas, fava beans and spices.

In the year that I have known Nisrin, I have learned that she really loves to cook and that her food is very good, said Sharron Smith, chair of the churchs refugee sponsorship committee.

Nisrin, who used to cook at a hotel in Lebanon after fleeing Syria in 2012, wants to start her own catering business and is planning to start selling food later this year at the summer farmers market in downtown Alliston.

Smith said the church committee plans to sponsor another family once the federal government agrees to allow more refugees into the country, and to also do some family reunification.

To celebrate the one-year anniversary of the refugee families living in Alliston, the church is holding a Come and Go tea Feb. 26 from 2-4 p.m.

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Syrian refugee families achieve financial independence in Alliston - Simcoe.com