National Philanthropy Day 2020

A student, researcher and entrepreneur, 23-year-old Justin Lessard Wajcer is completing a doctorate in neuroscience and has been involved since 2018 with Mindstrong, a fundraising initiative to invest in improving services and infrastructure in psychiatry at the Montreal Jewish General Hospital. Through his efforts, he has become one of the most successful fundraisers. In 2019, he was appointed co-chair of Mindstrong, the youngest in the history of the Jewish General Hospital. He raised more than $2.6 million, doubling the total raised the previous year.

In 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mindstrong reinvented itself in virtual format and the committee raised an astounding $1.6 million, once again under Justin’s co-chairmanship. And with this, Mindstrong became the top fundraiser for mental health in North America, having raised more than $8 million in just 6 years.

Jonathan Hamel wanted to create a more enjoyable and motivating fitness formula. In March 2013, he founded the Centre d’entraînement et kinésiologie HAMFIT in Brossard.

Four years later, Jonathan was moved by the cause of paediatric cancer. He felt that the words “cancer” and “child” should never be uttered in the same breath. Since 2017, he has mobilized his team and his community around a dozen events each year, donating 100% of the proceeds to the Fondation Charles-Bruneau. To date, the HAMFIT community has raised over $350,000 for sick children.

Despite the isolation measures due to COVID-19, the HAMFIT team continued to keep people active by providing daily virtual training sessions, for 84 days, free of charge. HAMFIT also pursued its mission to take action to support children with cancer by organizing three virtual events for the Fondation Charles-Bruneau, and raising $25,000 during this difficult period.

Desjardins has always been involved in the community, particularly with young people, by supporting them in their education and various projects. The organization ranks 1st among the most generous businesses in Quebec.

• In 2019, it invested $87 M in the community through donations, sponsorships, philanthropic partnerships and scholarships.
• In 2019, Desjardins launched the program Tous engagés pour la jeunesse with a $50-M commitment a year to support youth.
• Through its Fonds du Grand Mouvement, launched in 2016, Desjardins will have donated $250 M by 2024 to fund projects that support community priorities, particularly with respect to youth, sustainable development and entrepreneurship.
• In 2019, the Desjardins Foundation donated $3 M to foster young people’s academic success, which supported some 220,000 youth.

The Mouvement Desjardins and Desjardins Foundation have partnerships at the local, regional, national and international levels. Their actions are concrete and generate enthusiasm throughout the community. More than a banking institution, Desjardins is present for non-profit organizations, thousands of which are Desjardins members. Mouvement Desjardins provides financial support to many of these organizations in order to respond to their needs and those of the communities they serve. Volunteer involvement is also an important aspect in mobilizing Desjardins’ employees. Through various programs, they contribute to concrete actions in communities, making Desjardins a major philanthropic leader. The organization is ranked among the world’s 100 best employers, according to Forbes.

Portrait

The current Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors and a member of the Audit Committee, Claude LeBlanc has been involved with Little Brothers since 2013. In 2015, Claude contributed to the creation of the Fundraising and Communications Committee of Little Brothers and chaired this committee until 2019.

Under Claude’s chairmanship of the Fundraising and Communications Committee, Little Brothers professionalized their philanthropic activities. Claude’s volunteer work has had a major impact on the capacity of Little Brothers to counter the isolation of seniors because his involvement is directly linked to the organization’s financial capacity to realize its mission.

Last March, without hesitation, Claude renewed his commitment to the Fundraising and Communications Committee and put his fundraiser’s cap back on to mobilize his personal and professional network. Claude also worked the phones to make sure every individual major donor was called and made aware of the urgency of giving during this difficult period. And the results were dazzling! Thanks to his devotion and his deep belief in the cause, Claude brought in the two largest donations in the history of Little Brothers!

Shirlane Day has the energy of a builder. For 25 years she pursued a brilliant career path that combined philanthropy and advancement. From 1995 to 2000, she was the Executive Director of United Way Outaouais. Her expertise and accomplishments propelled her to the position of Vice-President Quebec of United Way of Canada, where she provided exemplary and influential leadership for eight years and carried out her various mandates with great finesse.

Following a mandate with the Dr. Julien Foundation she joined the ranks of the Institut Pacifique as Executive Director in 2009. She introduced a culture of philanthropy there by organizing their first ever fundraising campaign, which enabled, among other things, a complete renovation of their building. Under her leadership, the Quebec government named the organization a partner emeritus in the fight against bullying and it received the Lieutenant Governor’s Medal as well as official recognition from the Prime Minister of Canada.

With training in professional coaching and a graduate degree in social sciences and management, Shirlane Day brought guidance and innovation to every position she occupied over her rich career in philanthropy and the management of non-profit organizations.

Chantal’s volunteer involvement takes many different forms. This year, in the context of the pandemic, she joined another important cause: helping the many, many seniors affected by COVID-19. She wanted to volunteer in a CHSLD, but was unable to due to union rules. So she got a job as a full-time care support assistant for one month and then donated her wages and more to this CHSLD so that it could install air conditioning units, among other things.

The pandemic and her work in the CHSLD did not take her away from supporting the two causes she holds dear to her heart: West Island Community Shares and 60 Million Girls.

Chantal started volunteering for the Fund Distribution Committee of West Island Community Shares in 2006, and is now its Chair. She has also sat on the organization’s Board of Directors since 2010 and the Executive Committee, as well as the finance and HR sub-committees. In addition, Chantal is a member of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the organization 60 Million Girls. She is actively involved in their operations, organizing fundraising events and recruiting new donors.

A few weeks after the beginning of the lockdown, the Executive Director of the Jeunesses Musicales Canada Foundation, Gabrielle Blackburn, worked passionately and relentlessly to set up, in record time, a major project to provide direct assistance to young musicians at the beginning of their career, and facing serious financial precariousness. With her strong leadership, knowledge of project management, active network and immense and enthusiastic sense of solidarity with young artists, more than $128,000 was distributed among 74 young Canadians thanks to this project.

Gabrielle took the reins of a brand new and promising project and was able to dynamically bring together young Canadian artists, many local, national and international donors as well as the Foundation’s Board of Directors and every member of its small administrative team.