Sudbury's Marissa Connolly reflects on helping Syrian, Afghan refugees in Greece

Marissa Connolly could have carried on backpacking her way through Europe as so many young people do but, at a time when about 2,000 people a day were fleeing to Greece's shores, the Sudbury, Ont.woman decided she'd lend a hand instead.

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In February, Connolly then 24 years old and a recent graduate fromLaurentian University volunteered for three weeks with LighthouseRelief on the Greek island of Lesbos, just off the coast of Turkey.

The island is now nearly synonymous with the refugee crisis that has seen hundred of thousands of people take to dangerous migratory routes often with the help of human smugglers to find a better life in Europe and beyond.

Connolly said her job on Lesbos was to help those who made the sea crossing by boat, and offer them dry clothes andsome sweet tea.

Despite many landing on shorefrostbitten and exhausted, Connolly said,"what I saw on everyone's face was pure joy. They were grateful. One refugee said to me, 'Thank you for travelling across the world to help a person like me'."

"I was already backpacking through Europe," she continued.

"Through travel, I was able to realize how fortunate Canadians really are. I'm able to travel through borders with ease, and I knew that these refugees don't have that.I had the time, I had the money ...so why not help?"

As for whether she would go back to help:

"I would love to," she said. "We all bleed the same colour."

Listen to the complete interview with MarissaConnolly here.

Up North10:09Sudbury woman helps refugees on the front lines in Greece

Marissa Connolly recently had a first hand look at the refugee crisis in the middle east. She worked on the front lines of a refugee camp in Greece where she helped people off of boats as they came to land looking for safety.

On mobile? See a photogallery of Connolly's time in Lesbos here