14th Guignolée du Dr Julien on December 17, 2016

Help us care for and support even more children in need than ever before

MONTREAL, Dec. 9, 2016 /CNW Telbec/ - The 14^th Guignolée du Dr Julien will take place on Saturday December 17^th from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Fondation du Dr Julien is calling on the public to give generously to this annual drive in support of it's community social pediatrics centres¹.

The certified centers that are members of the community social pediatrics network² will also be having their own guignolées on the same day as well as those who are currently in the process of becoming certified. The money raised at these events will be used in the funding of professional services for more than 4,000 vulnerable children and their families throughout Quebec.

14 years of popular support and counting

Fourteen years ago, the first edition of the Guignolée du Dr Julien was held in the Hochelaga‑Maisonneuve neighbourhood. Quebecers have been supporting the Guignolée ever since.

As Dr. Gilles Julien, founder and president of Fondation du Dr Julien, notes: "Thousands of Quebec children are still not receiving the care and support they need to grow up healthy and reach their full potential. My greatest wish, and that of all social pediatrics teams, is that none of these children fall through the cracks. We have therefore set the ambitious goal of making our services available to even greater number of vulnerable children through some forty centres within the next 4 years. More than ever, we need the public's support to meet this enormous challenge. On behalf of the children of Quebec, please help us make this dream come true, please contribute to the Guignolée."

Since last year, the government of Quebec has been supporting the Fondation du Dr Julien in developing the network of certified community social pediatrics centres. It has committed to investing 20 million dollars over 4 years. However, to reach the objective of the Fondation and the community social pediatrics network – which is to ensure that an even greater number of vulnerable children have access to the services to which they are entitled – this government support will have to be matched by financial support from the community.

Local giving creates local change

The money raised by each centre will be used to finance services in the community it serves. These services include medical, legal, psychosocial, psycho-educational and educational interventions; innovative therapies like art therapy, occupational therapy and music therapy; and a range of specialized services in speech therapy, psychology, child psychiatry and neuropsychology. A variety of sporting and cultural activities (e.g. summer camps, music courses, theatre and other shows) are also offered to children, all with a therapeutic intention and after the establishment of an action plan in the clinic. These services are offered in proximity to the child's environment and in accordance with his or her needs and fundamental rights. The emphasis is on providing intensive accompaniment throughout the child's entire life trajectory.

Several ways to contribute to the Guignolée du Dr Julien

• Online – By visiting www.guignoleedrjulien.org.
• By telephone – By calling 1-855-DrJulien (1-855-375-8543). TELUS is setting up the phone lines and its employees are volunteering their time to receive donations.
• By mobile – By texting drjulien at 20222 on your mobile device. You can give $10 or $20.
• On Facebook – By using the Guignolée du Dr Julien's personal Avatar generator on our Facebook page. With every use of the generator, Jean Coutu will donate $10 and double the amount when the avatar is shared, up to a maximum of $50,000. Facebook.com/FondationDrJulien
• In person
  In Montreal – By giving to volunteers who will be collecting on the streets of Montreal, at public markets (Jean-Talon, Atwater and Maisonneuve), and at the Salon des métiers d'arts at Place Bonaventure on December 17^th.

The Fondation du Dr Julien and the social pediatrics centres will also be accepting donations of new items that they can give as Christmas gifts to their children – books, toys, educational games, art supplies, sports equipment, clothing, tickets to shows or sporting events, gift certificates and musical instruments.

Elsewhere in Quebec – To find out where to drop off donations for the guignolées of the certified community social pediatrics centres in other areas of Quebec, consult the map: www.guignoleedrjulien.org.

• By taxi – By calling Taxi Diamond at [phone] on December 17^th. A taxi driver will come to your home to pick up your donation (cheque or new items) anywhere in the territory of Montreal.
• By mail – By sending a cheque to the Fondation du Dr Julien at: 1601, rue Aylwin, Montréal, QC, H1W 3B9 or to the centre in your community.
• At our partners locations By making a donation in person in one of the Est de Montréal Caisses Desjardins locations or at the Brault & Bouthillier education boutique.

December 17^th: a party for the whole family!

It's a full day of celebrating at community social pediatrics centres across Quebec and it's all about families!

The Fondation du Dr Julien is having a full day of activities at the centre in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve (1600, rue Aylwin) in the company of the Guignolée's spokespersons, Ève Christian and Christian Bégin. From 7 to 11 a.m., the radio show Samedi et Rien d'Autre will broadcast live on ICI Radio-Canada Première with host Joël Le Bigot for the 11^th consecutive year. The centre will open its doors for guided visits and there will be host of fun activities for everyone: Samajam percussionists, clowns, lots of live music, face painting for the kids and, let's not forget, a visit from Santa Claus himself.

The annual street hockey match will get started at 1 p.m., with commentary by Jean-Charles Lajoie live at 91.9 Sport. Actor Marc Messier, stand-up comic Cathy Gauthier, former Montreal Canadiens players Francis Bouillon and Georges Laraque and a host of former NHL's will play with the kids, and the radio station's Fanmobile will also be onsite for a live broadcasting of the event.

Finally, Montreal's public markets (Jean-Talon, Atwater and Maisonneuve) will get into the holiday spirit with live musical performances all day long.

For the complete schedule of events, go to www.guignoleedrjulien.org.

About the Fondation du Dr Julien

Fondation du Dr Julien is a social enterprise whose mission is to help all children from vulnerable environments reach their full potential in accordance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Foundation supports a network of 14 certified community social pediatrics centres and is also accompanying nine other centers in the process of becoming certified. Together, these centres currently care for, support and provide life tools to over 4,000 vulnerable children and their families throughout Quebec. They offer a range of medical, specialized, psychosocial and legal services, using an approach centred on overall health and well-being, proximity to services, and complementary collaboration with partners in the community. www.fondationdrjulien.org

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¹ Location of certified CPSCs:

• In the greater Montreal area: Centre-Sud, Côte-des-Neiges, Hochelaga-Maisonneuve (2) and Saint-Laurent
• Elsewhere in Quebec: Cowansville, Drummondville, Gatineau, Hull, Lanaudière (Chertsey), Laval (Place Saint-Martin), Lévis, Québec and Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu.

² Location of CPSCs in the process of becoming certified are: Haute-Gaspésie (Cap-Chat), Lanaudière (Joliette), Laval (École St-Paul, Chomedey), Saint-Hyacinthe, St-Laurent (Chameran, Montréal), Trois-Rivières, Verdun (Montréal), Thetford Mines and Whapmagoostui-Kujjuuaraapik.

SOURCE Fondation du Dr Julien

Requests for interviews and photos: Christian Merciari, Communications and Public Relations Director, Fondation du Dr Julien, 514-527-3777, extension 253, Cell: 514-707-2090, [email protected]