Reception Centres
The first chartered flights from Macedonia arrived at CFB Trenton, Ontario on May 4 and at CFB Greenwood, Nova Scotia on May 5. Daily flights alternated between the two locations until May 31.
Red Cross staff and volunteers were among the first people to greet the Kosovars when they landed on Canadian soil. They guided the arriving refugees through the CIC orientation process, medical checkups and helped outfit them with new clothing. The refugees spent one to two days at these locations and then were bused to the Sustainment Sites for the next leg of their journey.
Trenton
CFB Trenton had a dual role -- as both a reception centre and sustainment site. It became known as Camp Recovery, a fitting name for the place where refugees would rest and acclimatize before heading to communities throughout Canada.
There was an English as a Second Language (ESL) school for children and adults located in tents at two sites in the camp. Residents benefited from these classes and in particular the children, many of whom could speak conversational English by the end of their stay.
CIC arranged for teachers from local high schools, universities and community colleges to provide information sessions for the residents, as many of the Kosovars were students who wanted to continue their education.
Recreational facilities were established in conjunction with several NGOs. Adult and youth centres equipped with televisions quickly turned into popular meeting places for male refugees. Because women seemed reluctant to join the men in these facilities a separate women's centre was established. The centre was divided into a television area and a crafts centre. Many of the women were very talented and produced lovely clothes. The women's centre was run by Red Cross volunteers and the Crafters' Guild arranged for the donation of supplies, sewing machines and televisions for the crafts centre. The Youth centre was run by the Emmanuel Baptist Church.
The Brighton Rotary Club and Red Cross volunteers, established an excellent children's centre equipped with toys, games, refreshments and computer equipment. An early childhood education centre (ECE) was also established, staffed by a qualified ECE manager and Red Cross volunteer.
Camp Recovery had a Red Cross activities director and assistant and in addition, the local community often organized small, private and large group excursions for the Kosovars. One excursion which received rave reviews from the 200 residents who participated was a ‘fun day' hosted by St. Lawrence College in Kingston. The college organized a soccer game for boys from the camp and another for men, who were pitted against local teams from Kitchener and Kingston. The hairdressing school was opened for free haircuts and manicures. The local fire station set up a huge spray to provide relief from the heat. Trenton area residents often took the camp residents out for day trips and some ventured as far as Toronto. Clowns were brought on base to entertain the children, who were
also bused to a nearby reserve to participate in an annual strawberry festival.
About 1200 people from the community worked as Red Cross volunteers at Camp Recovery. The level of goodwill and enthusiasm was quite extraordinary and atmosphere in the camp was of a large, happy village.
Greenwood
Flights into Greenwood began May 5 and finished May 31. The base also became a temporary sustainment site for the last flight of evacuees until space could be made available at Aldershot.
Before the first arrival, 30 volunteers worked diligently for three days, sorting donated clothing and shoes. Upon arrival at Greenwood every person would receive three changes of clothing and a pair of shoes. To ensure the operation would run smoothly, staff and volunteers also practiced with mock arrival exercises.
As the refugees disembarked the flights, blankets, wheelchairs and strollers were provided. Once they cleared customs, everyone was escorted to the residences and provided with a light meal.
"When the first flights arrived in Greenwood I had the best job, I distributed the Zeddy Bears to the children. They were thrilled and you could see the delight in their eyes as they were handed their very own toy. Like most kids they probably had a teddy bear at home, but the circumstances forced them to leave everything behind. Besides the greeters, these bears donated by Zellers were the first Canadians the Kosovar children met. What great ambassadors!" (Red Cross volunteer)
The families were escorted through medical exams, identification and clothing distribution, then were transported to sustainment sites.
The last flight of 269 guests stayed at Greenwood until space became available at Aldershot. They enjoyed English language training, swimming, softball, soccer, sewing, knitting, tole painting, visits to a local zoo and amusement park, dancing, hay rides, square and line dancing, pizza parties and movies. Off base outings were also organized by Red Cross recreation staff and were made possible by the generous donations of local businesses.
A total of 574 Red Cross volunteers participated in the eight-week operation at CFB Greenwood that ended on June 25.
