It was all part of her mission to reunite a Syrian family that was torn apart by civil war. Some of the Hamo family have already come to the small South Shore town as privately sponsored refugees, but many remain trapped in Turkey. Sakurai promised to do what she could to help the rest of Hamo's family get to Nova Scotia. Eight members of Shahnaz Hamo's family, including her parents and siblings, are still stuck in Turkey. Sakurai​ is part of the South Shore Refugee Family Reunification group, which has about 10 members.

Source: CBC News September 15, 2018 19:30 UTC