Rencontre châteauguoise exceeds objective

CHÂTEAUGUAY – Fixing an ambitious goal of $230,000.00, the recent financing campaign of Rencontre châteauguoise in fact raised more: a total of $ 234,374 was collected, as announced on April 25 by the organisation. The announcement was made on volunteer day, in line with Volunteer Action Week.

Choosing Châteauguay Mayor Nathalie Simon and lawyer Sonia St-Onge as honorary presidents, the financing campaign beat the previous record of about $223,000. This sum will help the organisation continue its activities in helping the underprivileged, particularly in serving popular meals to them. “There’s an increasing number of families who come for our meals”, said the president of Rencontre châteauguoise, Denise Poirier Rivard, saying that the number of meals served to those in need is always on the rise.

For Mayor Nathalie Simon to accept the campaign’s co-presidency was natural. “We don’t know when we’ll need the Rencontre” she said, referring to the economy’s ups and downs. “We’re lucky to have such an organisation of choice with volunteers of choice”, the Châteauguay Mayor continued.

“As for me, I was pleased to discover that the organisation helps many families”, added Sonia St-Onge who did not know about Rencontre châteauguoise until she was asked to participate in the financing campaign.

The day was also an occasion for the Rencontre châteauguoise team to acknowledge one of their long time volunteers - André Barrette – by bestowing upon him the title “volunteer of the year.” “It was a huge surprise. I wasn’t expecting it”, Mr. Barrette said. He has been devoting time to the organisation for about 15 years now. “Once you start doing volunteer work, you want to do more of it. It takes a hold of you”, André Barrette explained.

Three students on their fifth year in Louis-Philippe-Paré secondary school have also officially unveiled the 17 works completed by 33 students in the plastic arts class of Virginie Théorêt. These works serve as the décor for the premises of Rencontre châteauguoise. “In each of the works, there is a different theme. We wanted to show, in a creative way, what happens here”, Andrey Robertson said; her colleagues, Maggie Gosselin and Jade Landry, on the other hand, explained what some of the works symbolised.