Centraide of Greater Montreal honours the generosity of companies and the excellence of agencies

MONTREAL, April 13, 2016 /CNW Telbec/ - As we mark National Volunteer Week, Centraide of Greater Montreal handed out 14 Solidaires awards yesterday to honour the community commitment of companies and agencies.

Nine Solidaires recognized the exceptional leadership of companies, organizations, and unions that contributed to the success of Centraide's 2015 campaign, while five Solidaires went to agencies and people who fight against poverty and social exclusion.

Gaz Métro won two Solidaires: one for a campaign of 1,000 plus employees and one for the best overall support of a Centraide campaign. The other Solidaires went to Aon Reed Stenhouse/ Aon Parizeau, Cogeco, Hydro-Québec, PSP Investments, RBC Royal Bank, Rolls-Royce Canada and the two unions at Héroux-Devtek: UNIFOR – Local Section 1956 and the IAMAW – Local Section 1758, District 11 (FTQ). A Coup de cœur was also awarded to METRO for its overall campaign.

The five winners of Solidaires to community agencies, volunteers and staff were:

• Centre d'intégration à la vie active (C.I.V.A.) for its Youth Program (Solidaires Empowerment). C.I.V.A. organizes sports activities that are adapted to youth who have mobility impairments.
• Mouvement PHAS (Solidaires Mobilization). Thanks to its network of hundreds of individuals and agencies, Mouvement PHAS defends the rights of people with disabilities so that they can receive the services they need.
• Pierre Gaudreau, Coordinator of the Réseau d'aide aux personnes seules et itinérantes de Montréal (RAPSIM) (Solidaires Leadership). For 12 years, Pierre Gaudreau has been at the helm of RAPSIM, where he plays a major role in defending the rights of homeless people.
• J'apprends avec mon enfant (JAME) (Solidaires Citizen Involvement). Thanks to its army of volunteers, this agency pairs adult readers with children experiencing academic problems who live in Verdun, Le Sud-Ouest, Lachine, LaSalle and Saint-Laurent.
• David Paradis-Lapointe, Executive Director of Camp familial Saint-Urbain (Solidaires NextGen). At Camp familial Saint-Urbain in Lanaudière, 55% of the families who come to the camp are underprivileged. After two years in his position, David Paradis-Lapointe has rejuvenated the entire camp to serve a more diverse clientele that includes people with disabilities or people from different cultural communities.

Finally, the Michèle Thibodeau-DeGuire Award was given to Irene Nattel, Managing Director, Global Equity Research, RBC Capital Markets. Ms. Nattel has given generously of her time to Centraide of Greater Montreal for over 25 years as a member of the Board of Directors, the Audit and Finance Committee, and the Major Donors Cabinet for the Centraide campaign.

Centraide of Greater Montreal is an independent organization managed by a Board of Directors that is representative of the community. It serves Laval, Montreal, and the South Shore. About 57,000 volunteers are involved with the agencies that it supports, and 22,000 volunteers work on its annual campaign. Centraide is supported by 1,600 private, public and parapublic corporations and institutions as well as large trade unions. For more information: centraide-mtl.org. Quebec has 18 Centraides that support 1,800 community agencies and projects that offer help and comfort to 1.3 million vulnerable people.

Related links:
Solidaires to companies, organizations and unions:
http://www.centraide-mtl.org/en/supporters/the-solidaires-awards/winners/

Solidaires to community agencies and people in the community sector:
http://www.centraide-mtl.org/en/agencies/the-solidaires-awards/winners/

Michèle Thibodeau-DeGuire Award 2016:
http://www.centraide-mtl.org/en/about-us/senior-management/michele-thibodeau-deguire-award/irene-nattel/

Videos of the Solidaires award winners to community agencies:
http://bit.ly/1TOSoO0

Photos of the Solidaires award winners:
https://flic.kr/s/aHskxYsipE

SOURCE Centraide of Greater Montreal

Annick Gagnon, Centraide of Greater Montreal, 514-288-1261, extension 242, [email protected]