Twice as Good: Children's Wish Names Montreal Couple the Recipients of This Year's Laura Cole Volunteer of the Year Award

The Children's Wish Foundation of Canada

PICKERING, ON, April 11, 2014 /CNW/ - In concurrence with National Volunteer Week, The Children's Wish Foundation of Canada is pleased to announce that Jocelyne and Claude Giguère will be the recipients of the 2014 Laura Cole Volunteer of the Year Award.

More than two decades have passed since Jocelyne and Claude Giguère's daughter, Marjorie, got her Children's Wish to meet Mitsou, the Quebec singer and actress. For the Montreal couple, that unforgettable experience marked the start of a lifelong commitment to helping other wish kids and families.  The Giguères support Children's Wish through volunteerism as a tribute to their daughter.

Children's Wish is honouring Jocelyne and Claude with the Laura Cole Volunteer of the Year award, an annual citation which recognizes outstanding work among the Foundation's country-wide network of about 4,000 volunteers - generous Canadians who give their time and skills to create moments of joy and hope for seriously ill children and their families.

Jocelyne and Claude have delivered wishes to about 400 children over the last 23 years, and organized numerous fundraising events for about a decade. They spare no effort to ensure every child's wish is truly magical. When one child wished for a kayak, the Giguères got him an excursion with a kayaker from Canada's national team. For a girl who wished for a shopping spree, the Giguères arranged for a chauffeur-driven limousine, the services of a makeup artist, and special attention from several shopkeepers.

The Laura Cole Volunteer of the year Award will be presented to the Giguères on June 7th, at The Children's Wish Foundation of Canada's Annual General Banquet Dinner in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

In a note sent to all the foundation's volunteers marking National Volunteer Week, Children's Wish CEO Chris Kotsopoulos had this to say:

"Your efforts support everything we do at Children's Wish, each and every day of the year. Whether you are volunteering at the national, chapter or sub chapter level, you change the lives of thousands of children and families across the country each year. With your help, we have granted special wishes over the last 30 years for more than 20,000 children diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. And with each wish granted we have touched thousands more in your communities."

The Children's Wish Foundation of Canada

Each year, thousands of Canadian children between the ages of three and 17 are diagnosed with a life threatening illness.  Since 1984, The Children's Wish Foundation of Canada has worked tirelessly to grant exceptional wishes to over 20,000 children and their families.

This year, the Foundation expects to grant over 1,000 new wishes and is proud to have never refused a wish to an eligible child, and with the help of volunteers and generous donors, is able to grant nearly three wishes every day.  Each wish is an individual adventure, carefully structured to meet the needs of a particular child and family. The Foundation is a national charity with chapters in every province and territory. Visit www.childrenswish.ca for more information.

Image with caption: "Jocelyne and Claude Giguère, recipients of the 2014 Children's Wish Foundation Laura Cole Volunteer of the Year Award (CNW Group/The Children's Wish Foundation of Canada)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20140411_C9528_PHOTO_EN_39148.jpg

SOURCE: The Children's Wish Foundation of Canada

Contact:   
Paul St-Germain 
Director, Communications,
The Children's Wish Foundation of Canada
Phone: [phone]
Toll-Free: 1-800-700-4437
Email: [email protected]