Blog post from néomédia.com

The Fondation des enfants de Vaudreuil-Soulanges will give school bags to no less than 221 children this back-to-school season, a long tradition for the organization.

” When you see the children who receive their school bags with their eyes shining, it is worth all the gold in the world. They’re not labeled as different “, says Élaine Chagnon, the foundation’s executive director.

In addition to the school bags, they will receive a $50 coupon for the purchase of school supplies, running shoes, snow gear including boots, tuques, mittens and scarves, spring and fall coats. “They are quite well equipped,” she says.

In collaboration with the Member of Parliament for Vaudreuil, Marie-Claude Nichols, the organization will also give out lunch bags, this year with a thermos inside. The deputy will be present at the big distribution.

The event will be held this year on August 23 and 24 at the Opticentre in Vaudreuil, since the Multisports Centre is still busy with the vaccination against COVID-19. The sanitary instructions in effect will be respected.

This will also be an opportunity for families to register their children in the various sports facilities of the City of Vaudreuil-Dorion for those who do not have access to Internet at home.

For those who are not registered on the list of supported families and who would need it, Mrs. Chagnon specifies that there will surely be extra material left. However, they will have to follow the steps and meet the criteria requested with the CLSC.

Special help with the pandemic

The health crisis has obviously disrupted the dynamics of many community organizations, particularly with the cancellation of fundraising activities. However, Ms. Chagnon is pleased to be able to count on several major donors and businesses in the region.

The possibility of sponsorship, through the CLSC, is evaluated according to family income and the number of dependent children. ” We have a little less this year because there have been a lot of families who have had the CERB and there are some who exceed the required threshold,” explains Ms. Chagnon.

Still, the foundation wanted to help families in other ways, including with the grocery bill. ” Last year, when the pandemic started, I thought that some people would surely go hungry. We made a grocery letter with which they could buy food and personal hygiene products like soap, diapers, etc., ” she adds.

By partnering with four local supermarkets, the IGA Viau, the one on Île-Perrot, the Métro Fordham in Saint-Zotique, as well as the Métro in Rigaud, they were able to provide financial aid of $75 per person per household. Nearly $60,000 was given out in this way.

A hard start

Élaine Chagnon takes over the torch of the foundation, after more than twenty years of involvement, following the death of the founding president, Dr. Monique Rozon-Rivest, in February 2020. “ We had known each other for a long time. She was a great lady, ” she says.

Mrs. Rozon-Rivest passed away at the age of 68. A mother of four children and a doctor, she was a leader for 25 years at the Vaudreuil-Soulanges Children’s Foundation.

Despite this sad departure, the organization continues its activities, in addition to the pandemic. Many other programs are offered such as support for day camp registration, the lunch club in certain schools, the development of the François-Perrot school yard for students with learning disabilities, the donation of $75,000 to the Maison de la famille for homework assistance, and so on.