M E S SA G E F R O M T H E G E N E R A L D I R E C T O R
O F T H E M A IS O N D U P È R E F O U N D A T I O N
MESSAGE FROM THE GENERAL DIRECTOR OF THE FOUNDATION
MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN OF THE FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The Maison du Père Foundation was established in 2005 with the sole mission of supporting the activities of the Maison du Père and ensuring its continued viability. In recent years, its team has expended a great deal of energy forming partnerships and initiating events that enable it to raise the funds needed to develop innovative services better suited to users’ needs, and has done so at an economically precarious time.
And indeed, many organizations are wondering, in these difficult times, how they will manage to hold a steady course, given that their benefactors’ wallets have shrunk significantly. The Maison du Père is no exception.
Fortunately, we have thus far been able to count on the loyalty of our benefactors, some of whom have supported the Maison du Père from its earliest days. I want to salute them here, for they enable us to fulfil our mission of looking after men in difficulty.
Since it was established, the Foundation has also enjoyed the support of the Just for Laughs Festival which, among other things, has produced five telethons whose proceeds have gone to the Foundation. More than financial support, the “Juste pour Aider” telethons have enabled the Maison du Père to give visibility to men who are too often overlooked, and to break down certain prejudices.
In 2008, the Foundation launched the first edition of the Maison du Père “Bal décontracté.” Ball hostess Pascale Nadeau has emceed the event since the very beginning. The eighth edition was held last April 28, with Robert Sawyer, President and Chief Executive Officer of Rona, as Honorary Chair. Nearly 400 guests from the business world attended and contributed to the evening’s success.
Bernard Derome is also friends of the Maison du Père Foundation, and chair our major fundraising campaigns. He acts as spokesman for the Maison to the media and do not hesitate to get involved to support its solicitation approaches to certain donors.
We hope that the cause of homelessness will continue to touch our donors, and even reach new ones, as we anticipate that the current economic difficulties will unfortunately put more men onto the street. More than ever, the Maison du Père will be called upon to come to their assistance. More than ever, we will need partners who want to support us, since every street should have an exit.
François Boissy
General Director of the Foundation