Lucie and André Chagnon Foundation supports Sherbrooke community development
The Initiative Sherbrookoise en Développement des Communautés (ISDC), a local coalition of community organizations and groups with an interest in promoting community development, received a significant boost on Thursday Afternoon with the announcement that it will be receiving $1.15 million in support from the Lucie and André Chagnon Foundation over the next two years. The funding will be
used to help projects already being run by four different focus groups as well as new initiatives aimed at food safety and intercultural cooperation.
“I am convinced that the work of the partners of the ISDC is a powerful force in preventing poverty and supporting the educational success of local children,” said Jean-marc Chouinard, President of the Lucie and André Chagnon Foundation, drawing a link between the work of the local group and the focus of his organization.
“These are people who are changing the world one day at a time,” said Christian Bibeau of the ISDC, praising the group’s partners for their ongoing commitment to community support and development. He noted that several of the groups go beyond the core missions of their organizations to better the community around them.
Steve Lussier, Mayor of Sherbrooke, noted that the city has a 20 year relationship with the group and contributes $50,000 to its work every year.
Patricia Gauthier, the President and Director General of the CIUSSS de l’estrie – CHUS, and Gilles Normand, Chairman of Sherbrooke’s French-language school board, the CSRS were also present to underline the importance of the ISDC and its work to their respective institutions.
“It takes a village to teach a child,” Normand said, adding that “when that child grows up he becomes a part of the village.”
Thursday’s announcement was held at the Café Baobab, the recently opened community café on Dunant Street in Sherbrooke’s Ascot district.