A Toronto couple cancelled plans for a big, expensive wedding and asked guests at their small city hall ceremony to donate money in lieu of gifts — all to help them raise thousands of dollars to sponsor a family of Syrian refugees. Samantha Jackson and Farzin Yousefian were planning a traditional wedding for March with all the trimmings, at a cost of tens of thousands of dollars. They had already booked a venue, hired caterers, and invited family and friends. In September, they saw the pictures of three-year-old Alan Kurdi's lifeless body washed up on a Turkish beach — an image that put a global spotlight on the Syrian refugee crisis. Jackson and Yousefian have now put the wedding funds toward helping a Syrian family of four. Are you aware of this story?
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