HOF040: Sue PIKE

Sue Pike was moved by Mayor Marion Dewar’s appeal to the citizens of Ottawa to assist in welcoming South-East Asian refugees to the city.

Along with hundreds of other concerned residents, she attended the “Boat People Rally” at Lansdowne Park in Ottawa Centre on July 12, 1979. In a fit of enthusiasm, she found herself volunteering to coordinate the Sponsorship Committee for the newly formed Project 4000. She and her many Sponsorship Committee volunteers worked that summer organizing meetings to encourage neighbours, co-workers, and faith group members to form groups capable of taking on the responsibility of supporting a refugee family for a full year.

One of Project 4000’s strongest allies in this regard were the Ottawa Citizen reporters who each day published articles encouraging people throughout the newspaper’s catchment area, to sign up in order to become sponsors.

Later that year Sue Pike became a member of the Board of Directors of Project 4000. She helped the team to wind down the organization that by that time had successfully met its goals.