Event Program

Flordeco was nominated by Opération Enfant Soleil.

Flordeco, a network of stores specializing in flooring and interior design, was created in 2008. The first year Flordeco got involved with Opération Enfant Soleil, the company spared no effort in making sure that this partnership was a resounding success! It also demonstrated the importance of this involvement to its employees.

Flordeco began its partnership with Opération Enfant Soleil by joining the official sales network of the Passeport de rêve draw. The company rallied and motivated its employees to invest their energy and efforts in promoting the sale of tickets in stores and online. And it didn’t stop there. The company also invested financially in promoting the draw through its sponsored posts on social media and it solicited its suppliers and partners during its annual convention by organizing a silent auction that alone raised $90,000. During the last Telethon—the very first year it participated in this event—Flordeco raised $150,000 for the organization, joining the ranks of its major partners.

Not content with lending financial support to Opération Enfant Soleil, the company graciously invited Enfant Soleil families to participate in the Illumi event and has a whole lot of other ideas in mind, including a golf tournament.

Flordeco’s financial support is priceless for Opération Enfant Soleil, and the visibility of the company’s promotion of the organization’s mission among its clientele and community is equally invaluable!

IGA (Sobeys) was nominated by Fondation Charles-Bruneau.

IGA, owned by Sobeys, is one of the largest groups of independent grocers in Canada, with 300 supermarkets in Quebec and New Brunswick.

Since 2004, when Pierre Saint-Laurent, Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer, Services Banner at Sobeys, joined the ranks of Fondation Charles-Bruneau’s Board of Directors, IGA has raised over $10 million in support of the Foundation’s mission—to give children with cancer the best chance of recovery by funding research. Since its inception, IGA’s commitment has been channeled into original fundraising initiatives: the Mini tour IGA Charles-Bruneau across Quebec, the Tour CIBC Charles-Bruneau, the in-store Tough Cookies campaign, and the Charles-Bruneau Cup.

Every year, IGA merchants kick into gear to raise awareness among their employees and the community through their volunteer participation in the Foundation’s various events and by creating their own initiatives.

The Tough Cookies initiative alone rallied a large community. The incredible success of this campaign was thanks to the mobilization of IGA staff and merchants across Quebec. They knew how to convey the importance of the cause and encouraged customers to add a Tough Cookies tattoo to their grocery cart. 

But the IGA team did not content themselves with creating a campaign in support of children with cancer. They took the time to listen to these children and involve them in the process, while also involving the Foundation from start to finish—from brainstorming right through to implementation in the stores. This brought a human face to a unique campaign.

Thanks to its fundraising success, Fondation Charles-Bruneau was able to finance Projet VIE, a project designed to help reduce the significant after-effects of chemotherapy among cancer survivors.

Gina Cody was nominated by Concordia University.

As the first woman to receive a PhD in Building Engineering in Canada from Concordia University, Gina Cody spent three decades as president and principal shareholder of a major Canadian engineering firm. Throughout her tenure in a largely male-dominated field, she provided professional engineering services to some of Canada’s largest REITs, financial institutions, builders, and developers.

In 2018, Cody made a historic $15-million gift to her alma mater: Concordia’s Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science. Now the Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science, she made the gift to help promote equity, diversity and inclusion among future engineers and computer scientists. Cody’s gift has had — and will continue to have — a tremendous impact on Concordia. Her support has helped the university recruit and retain a more diverse community of students, faculty, and researchers; supported inclusive teaching, learning and research; and fostered a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive campus.

More broadly, Cody’s gift drew and continues to garner attention to the role women can play in philanthropy. As one of the most significant donors to date to the Campaign for Concordia: Next-Gen Now, Cody leads by example to encourage her 250,000 fellow alumni to support their shared alma mater.

Gina Cody now mentors young women in engineering and helps organizations that support young people faced with poverty or homelessness. She gives up to 12 keynote speeches on equity, diversity and inclusion each year. She has received multiple honours, including the Order of Canada, Ordre de Montréal, Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, Volunteer Service Award from the Government of Ontario, the Order of Honour from Professional Engineers of Ontario, and an honorary doctorate from Université de Sherbrooke.

iA Groupe financier was nominated by Corporation Bénévoles d’Expertise.

Founded in 1892, iA Financial Group (iA), an insurance and wealth management group, is one of the largest public companies in Canada. It also has operations in the United States.

iA is a company committed to the wellbeing of individuals and the community, so that everyone becomes a catalyst for wellbeing, today and for future generations. Its commitment to the community is a critical part of its corporate strategy in terms of sustainable development.

iA was a visionary by engaging, from its early stages, in the project Bénévoles d’Expertise (BE), an organization that provides management and governance support to NPOs through skills-based volunteering initiated by Centraide.  Professionals, who are expert volunteers, transfer their knowledge to the directors of organizations to help them meet their organizational challenges. This is a mutually enriching approach. Jean-François Boulet, then Executive Vice-President/Client and Employee Experience, since retired, was part of their task force in 2011. By making a significant donation to launch BE, iA helped turn a dream into reality.

In addition to recurrent financial donations in support of BE’s lasting services, iA encourages executives and employees to invest time in this innovative cause. Mr. Boulet was the first chair of the Board of Directors from 2012 to 2015. Two vice-chairs are currently serving on BE’s Board.

iA has believed in BE’s mission for over 10 years. It played a key role in its creation and was the first company to include skills-based volunteering in corporate social responsibility.  It promotes the donation of talent by publicizing the mission and valuing employees who, through personal initiative, donate their time and expertise.

Benoit Lemieux was nominated by Fondation Hôpital Charles-LeMoyne.

A man of heart, Benoit Lemieux firmly believes that privileged people have a duty to play a role in helping others. Mr. Lemieux is active in various causes including Accueil Bonneau, the CHUM, Source Bleue, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and UQAM, his alma mater. But his most significant involvement in terms of time and financial contribution has been with the Fondation Hôpital Charles-LeMoyne.

A bold visionary, Benoit Lemieux wants the Fondation Hôpital Charles-LeMoyne to be recognized as a leader for excellence in philanthropic practices.  He is a firm believer in community as a lever for change. He creates and transforms, while remaining a relevant and constant presence with the Foundation.

Mr. Lemieux played a pivotal role in the deployment of the Foundation’s 2017-2020 strategic plan and its $25-million major campaign in 2017, as co-president of the campaign cabinet. He was at the helm of this historic campaign that exceeded its objective by raising $28 million. Geneviève Letendre, wife of Benoît Lemieux, largely supported her husband’s philanthropic involvement, having thus participated in the success of the many projects initiated.

As the Foundation’s Chair, he also helps drive its flagship events: the Generations Challenge, an unprecedented solidarity movement in support of the most urgent needs of Quebec’s hospitals, the Philanthropists’ Wine Cellar in support of youth mental health, and the Classique de golf, which in 2012 became the Classique de golf Serge-Lemieux in memory of his father.

Anièle Lecoq was nominated by The Neuro.

Anièle Lecoq has 25 years’ experience in philanthropy under her belt. An exceptional leader, she has spearheaded many projects and rallied multiple teams in reaching bold objectives.

From 2005 to 2014, as President & CEO of the CHU Sainte-Justine Foundation, Ms. Lecoq secured over $300 million in investments in support of Québec’s mothers and children, while raising the bar to over $33 million in major donations and Grand public donations annually. She also led the strategic management of two major campaigns–Grandir en santé (Growing Up Healthy) followed by Healing More Better, with fundraising goals of $100 million and $200 million respectively.

In 2015, Ms. Lecoq was recruited to Switzerland to create and launch the foundation for the Centre hospitalier universitaire Vaudois. Less than 10 years since its inception, the foundation is now successfully supporting research, patient care and education in one of Switzerland’s top university hospitals.

Since 2017, Ms. Lecoq has been the Executive Director of Philanthropy at The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital). Thanks to her work and rallying spirit, she has managed to obtain several very major donations in various areas of neuroscience such as Parkinson’s, ALS, autism and intellectual disability, stroke and brain tumours. In addition, she and her team took up the challenge of launching Brains Need Open Minds, the most ambitious campaign in The Neuro’s history, with its $200-million fundraising goal.

In just two years, Ms. Lecoq and her team also raised $150 million in direct support of global research and patient care in all of the neurological diseases on which The Neuro is conducting research.

Ms. Lecoq brings incomparable passion to her work. With true compassion and unwavering commitment, she advocates in the interests of donors and volunteers as well as teams of researchers and health professionals. Her career and dedication are truly extraordinary.

Fondation J.A. DeSève was nominated by CHU Sainte-Justine Foundation and CHUM Foundation.

In Quebec, Joseph Alexandre DeSève was among the very first committed and visionary donors in the health sector. The Fondation J.A. DeSève was the fruit of his desire to actively contribute to the development of the society to which he was deeply attached.

Mr. DeSève was one of the first French Canadians to establish a large charitable institution devoted to providing financial support to the community in several sectors: social assistance, education, culture, science and hospital care. Each year, across Quebec, some 200 organizations receive funding from his Foundation. He has left Quebecers with a unique heritage.

By providing exceptional support to two leading institutions—the CHUM and the CHUSJ—the Fondation J.A. DeSève, through its innovative and caring vision, is helping to improve the health of Quebecers, at all stages of their lives. The Fondation J.A. DeSève was one of the first—and most faithful—donors to support these two hospital foundations. It has actively participated in the success of each of their major campaigns, and has an integral place in its history.

Fifty-four years of exemplary and transformational generosity is the best way to describe the exceptional commitment of the Fondation J.A. DeSève, not only to the CHUM and the CHUSJ, but to all of Quebec’s major institutions and to many community organizations. It has donated more than $342 million all across the province to transform the lives of Quebecers. The history of Francophone philanthropy in Quebec is still young and we sincerely believe that it is thanks to people like Joseph Alexandre DeSève that our communities are developing and thriving!

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