Avecille Casem Schaffter (fourth from the left) visiting with her family in the Philippines (Image provided by the Schaffters)
What would you do to support your family? Avecille Casem Schaffter chose to travel halfway around the world to a place she had never been before- all to help support her family back home in the Philippines.
Schaffter came to Calgary in January of 2008, a cold welcome for a woman who was used to 30-degree weather year-round. Trained to be a teacher, she took a job as a housekeeper at the Fairmont Palliser in downtown Calgary and sent money back home to help her family. Schaffter’s passion for helping others did not just stop at her family, she wanted to help other immigrants. Over the past 11 years, she has worked her way up from being a housekeeper to getting a diploma from Robertson college and now helps other immigrants through working at Immigrant Services Calgary.
Schaffter’s kind heart was filled with the desire to help lift up other people, and her kindness lead to her finding her true love, Kent Schaffter. From Ontario and from the Philippines to meet in Calgary, it really was destiny that brought these two together.
Avecille Casem Schaffter and Kent Schaffter on vacation at Lake Louise (Image provided by the Schaffters)
Kat Dulay, a fellow Filipino immigrant and CMRU.ca reporter, sat down with Avecille and Kent to find out more about Avecille’s journey and what she’s planning for the future.
