Reaching out to Migrant Workers

Sandy relaxes with her family after her Voice of the Class speech. In the back is Sandy’s husband Anthony, Sandy, and son William. In the front is son Albert Jr., daughter Victoria, and son Nicholas. “My kids are my greatest fans. They are very compassionate and loving individuals and they’re very proud of what I’ve done—I hear them brag about me all the time,” Sandy says.

Mature student. Immigrant. Mother. Wife. These are all words Sandy Falcon has used to describe herself. The people around her also know her as a compassionate friend and selfless community leader.

In the middle of COVID and her graduate studies at Lakehead's Orillia campus, Sandy started Unknown Neighbours. It's a non-profit that helps temporary foreign workers in Canada. Her goal was to reach out to people who are often lonely and vulnerable and to assist them with accessing legal, social, and health services.

In November 2021, for instance, Unknown Neighbours made life a little easier for Mexican and Jamaican workers arriving in Simcoe County to work on Christmas tree farms. Sandy and her colleagues greeted them with welcome bags filled with personal care items and non-perishable food as well as information about community resources. In addition, they encouraged the public to donate winter coats and workwear to the labourers, many of whom were unprepared for the frigid Canadian winter.

The organization—which operates in the Simcoe, York, Dufferin, and Grey-Bruce Counties—offers foreign workers a central location where they can meet their peers and unknown neighbours and forge a sense of belonging.

Sandy has helped many people in need through her non-profit Unknown Neighbours, her volunteer work with Dress for Success, and her job with the Red Cross. In addition, Sandy received a 2020 Mitacs Research Training Award (RTA) for her project entitled "Feasibility Study for a Men's Dress for Success Program in Simcoe County."

Sandy herself is originally from Ecuador. Her family settled in Canada when she was just a year old, although she spent a lot of time in Ecuador throughout her childhood. By the time Sandy finished high school, however, she was living in Toronto's low-income Jane and Finch neighbourhood.

"Postsecondary education wasn't a possibility for me," Sandy says, "I had to get a job right away."

She worked hard for many years, but she also yearned for a more fulfilling life so at the age of 35, the mother of four quit her job as an office administrator to earn a law clerk diploma at Georgian College in Barrie, Ontario.

"I loved being at school, however, I soon realized that I didn't want to be a law clerk," Sandy says, "so I applied to Lakehead's criminology program."

Then in her first year, she chose an experiential learning course in political science that allowed her to volunteer with a non-profit called Dress for Success.

"It supports women who are unemployed or reentering the workforce by providing business clothes, training, and mentoring to get them comfortable to go on interviews and start their positions," Sandy says.

She continued to volunteer with the non-profit after the placement was over and she's now the chair of the Barrie Chapter of Dress for Success. It was an experience that prompted Sandy to enroll in Lakehead's Master of Social Justice program, which she completed this spring with first class standing.

Sandy Falcon (BA'20/HBASc'20/MA'22) says that she hopes to maintain her connection with Lakehead University.

Given her academic achievements and community spirit, it made perfect sense that Sandy was chosen to be the 2022 Voice of the Class and speak on behalf of her fellow students at Lakehead Orillia's convocation ceremonies, but she herself was shocked.

"Hearing that I was someone to look up to really floored me. I couldn't believe that I was chosen," Sandy says.

She's continuing her relationship with Lakehead and recently worked with fellow social justice grads and students to train City of Orillia staff on fostering equity, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace.

Right now, Sandy is most excited about being hired by the Red Cross—the largest humanitarian organization in the world—as the lead for a pilot project that supports older people.

"My goal is to help people," Sandy says. "That's what I always told anyone who asked me what I wanted to do when I grew up."