As part of a special initiative to mark the Group’s 170th anniversary, Promutuel Insurance de l’Estuaire is very proud to have donated $100,000 to 14 youth organizations in the Lower St. Lawrence and Gaspé Peninsula regions.

Last year, Promutuel Insurance de l’Estuaire celebrated its own 100th anniversary. It was in this extra festive context that we launched a celebration of values dear to us—helping one another and working together. Team members were asked to suggest organizations that they believe play key roles in the lives of youth.

Why youth? “Because they have faced many changes since March 2020, and we believe that stronger communities are vital to a strong and caring social fabric,” said Éric Drouin, general manager of Promutuel Insurance de l’Estuaire. “The selected organizations play an essential role in this regard.”

The following youth organizations received $10,000 or $5,000 in financial assistance from our mutual association:

Donations of $10,000

SANTÉ MENTALE QUÉBEC – BAS-ST-LAURENT

Santé Mentale Québec – Bas-St-Laurent has as its mission to provide mental health prevention, promotion, support, and self-help services. The organization works every day to support, promote, and take action in the community and make it a better, more fulfilling place to live for individuals.

“Knowing that Promutuel Insurance de l’Estuaire supports mental health moves us deeply,” said Sonia Cloutier, general manager of Santé Mentale Québec – Bas-St-Laurent. “Thanks to your generosity, we can offer more to our members and empower them in their daily lives.”

LE CENTRE DE PÉDIATRIE SOCIALE DE LA HAUTE-GASPÉSIE

Centre de Pédiatrie Sociale de la Haute-Gaspésie offers medical and psychosocial services to support children’s development. Care is based on the approach developed by Dr. Gilles Julien, the father of social pediatrics in Québec. This approach marshals medical, legal and social science expertise to identify, reduce or eliminate sources of toxic stress or risk factors that affect a child’s development and well-being.

“We are deeply moved by the exceptional generosity of Promutuel Insurance de l’Estuaire,” said Dr. Guillaume Hardy, president of Centre de pédiatrie sociale. “This donation will not only allow us to fund direct care and services for children but also launch new activities.”

LES MARAÎCHERS DU CŒUR

Les Maraîchers du Cœur has a mission to support unemployed young adults who are no longer in school by providing them with a place where they can learn about vegetable gardening and by offering them practical courses and internships to help them integrate into society and the workplace. The organization also helps alleviate poverty by supplying food to the Moisson Rimouski-Neigette food bank.

“This donation is great news since it enables us to optimize our gardening promotion activities and its benefits for both our participants and the general public,” said Anne Boucher Beaulieu, manager of Les Maraîchers du cœur. “To borrow from a Jewish proverb, Promutuel Insurance, like us, has given itself both roots and wings. This donation will also give us wings by offering more support and resources to our young participants and more products to our neighbours in need. A big thank you to Promutuel Insurance de l’Estuaire for its concern for and commitment to the region.”

OPÉRATION ENFANT SOLEIL

Opération Enfant Soleil raises funds to develop high-quality pediatric care for every child in Québec.

“Thank you, Promutuel Insurance de l’Estuaire for this very generous gift. Thank you to the employees who chose to donate to several organizations, including $10,000 to Opération Enfant Soleil.”

COSMOSS LA MATAPÉDIA

Cosmoss La Matapédia brings together more than 25 organizations that work together to develop the potential of children and youth from conception to age 30. This collaboration is based on volunteer commitments of health and social services, education, municipal, employment, early childhood and community networks.

“We are very pleased to receive this unexpected gift!” said Céline Raymond, coordinator for COSMOSS La Matapédia. “It will allow us to finance a number of initiatives to benefit our community. We really appreciate this generosity.”

COSMOSS LA MATANIE

Cosmoss La Matanie brings together partners who work together to develop the potential of children and youth in order to achieve a successful start to school, healthy lifestyle development, academic success and socio-professional integration. This collaboration is based on volunteer commitments by health and social services, education, municipal, employment, early childhood and community networks.

The donation will be made to COSMOSS La Matanie in the coming weeks.

Donations of $5,000

MADELI-AIDE

Madeli-Aide’s mission is to promote education among young people in the Magdalen Islands. The foundation provides scholarships to students who must leave the islands to continue their schooling beyond high school or college. It also provides financial support for initiatives that promote academic success and encourage young people to stay in the Magdalen Islands.

“We receive many requests every year. That's why support from partners like Promutuel Insurance de l’Estuaire matters so much,” said the Madeli-Aide organization. “It helps us encourage young people from the islands in their academic journey.”

PRO-JEUNE-EST

Pro-Jeune-Est has two missions, one educational, one social. They take the shape of support to young people with learning and adjustment difficulties in school and in society. These missions also extend to their families in the form of ongoing and concerted preventive effort to improve their overall development and well-being.

“Financial support from Promutuel Insurance de l’Estuaire is very important to us,” said Véronique Thibault, director of Pro-Jeune-Est. “It will enable us to offer our services over a broader territory and to cover the travel costs of our workers and volunteers in rural areas. Thank you for believing in our mission to keep youth in school and engaged in society.”

FONDATION POUR LA PERSÉVÉRANCE SCOLAIRE DU FLEUVE-ET-DES-LACS

Fondation Persévérance scolaire du Fleuve-et-des-Lacs promotes success and student retention by meeting the basic needs of students from underprivileged families who attend schools within the Du Fleuve et des Lacs school board district. The Foundation also helps improve students’ academic journey by providing meals, glasses, clothing, boots and winter coats, as well as paying for school and extracurricular activities.

“The Foundation is happy to learn about this gift from Promutuel Insurance de l’Estuaire,” said Yvan Lavoie, president of the Fondation pour la persévérance scolaire. “Thanks to your initiative, the Foundation will be able to pursue its mission, which is to financially support students from disadvantaged families in order to uphold their motivation and a sense of commitment to their educational paths. We believe that every young person should have the same opportunity to succeed, and sometimes a boost from the Foundation can make all the difference! We could not do all this work without prominent and generous donors such as Promutuel Insurance de l’Estuaire.”

FONDATION JEUNES EN TÊTE

Fondation Jeunes en Tête’s mission is to prevent psychological distress among youth aged 11 to 18 in Québec. It provides teens, their parents and school staff with online tools and awareness workshops in schools. Destigmatizing, raising awareness and providing the right tools are the concrete actions the Foundation takes every day to help future generations face challenges in life.

“The Fondation Jeunes en Tête would like to thank Promutuel Insurance de l’Estuaire for this donation, which will help us carry out awareness activities for young people,” said Andrée Faucher, the Fondation Jeunes en tête’s donor relations manager.

BOUGE POUR QUE ÇA BOUGE

Bouge pour que ça Bouge is about harnessing the health benefits—both physical and psychological—of physical activity by creating a ripple effect where one person’s action spurs action in an entire community.

“The community’s financial contributions empower us to make a real difference to the region's youth through meaningful initiatives that make a significant and lasting impact,” said Jean-François Plourde, director of Bouge pour que ça Bouge.

NOUVEAU REGARD

Nouveau Regard is an association of family and friends of people with mental illness. Its mission is to provide support and information to loved ones and to raise awareness of mental illness issues. The organization offers one-on-one and family meetings, assistance with interim care, support groups and themed workshops to meet everyone’s needs.

“This donation will allow us to invest in a communications plan to raise awareness of our organization throughout the Gaspé region, promote our services, and reach as many people as possible,” said Mélanie Arsenault, director of Nouveau regard.

LA MUNICIPALITÉ DE SAINT-ANACLET

The Municipality of Saint-Anaclet is seeking to improve existing youth facilities in the region, including the youth centre.

“This donation will allow us to make important improvements to Saint-Anaclet’s youth centre and better address the needs of our youth,” said Municipalité de Saint-Anaclet Councillor Simon Dubé.

LE FRIGO PARTAGÉ DU CÉGEP DE MATANE

Cégep Matane’s Frigo Partagé is an initiative that supports students who are finding it difficult to eat properly during their studies. Food is regularly dropped off in the fridge by community kitchens. This innovative strategy has a positive impact on academic outcomes and even the dropout rate.

The donation will be made to the Cégep de Matane in the coming weeks.

Located throughout eastern Québec, from Témiscouata to the Magdalen Islands, Promutuel Insurance de l'Estuaire seeks to show the importance of giving back through its financial contributions to community groups. These organizations work hard with local youth. Their commitment is very inspiring and aligns perfectly with our organization’s mutualist values. It is an honour to encourage them and to help deliver important, meaningful, lasting initiatives for the young people of the region.