Butters gleans funds from disolved foundation
The recent dissolution of the Jean-maurice Latendresse Foundation that was founded in 2015 has resulted in the transfer of its residual assets in the amount of $365,500 to the Butters Foundation.
Pierre Latendresse, son of Jean-maurice Latendresse, founder of the Opus Foundation that morphed into the Jean-maurice Foundation and Michelle Bédard, former director of the defunct Jean-maurice Latendresse Foundation, came to the TBL Medical Clinic in Knowlton last Friday afternoon to award the cheque to the president and chair of the Butters Foundation board of directors, Dr. William Barakett, and Director General Ron Creary last Friday.
For continuity and to glean the knowledge and expertise from his work with the Jean-marc Latendresse Foundation, Pierre Latendresse will now be a member
of the Butters Foundation board of directors, which continues to support and promote the social integration of intellectually disabled residents. Creary says that Latendresse will assist Barakett and his volunteers in soliciting funds for community-based projects with disabled or autistic children.
Barakett says that they are also hoping that a certain amount will be earmarked for research and development targeting young clients with autism spectrum disorders that would manifest antisocial behaviours. Barakett underlined the importance of early detection that can ultimately result in effective measures preventing unwarranted negative behaviour as they become adults.
Creary says that, “The Butters Foundation is honoured to be able to continue the legacy of Mr. Jean-maurice Latendresse, a tireless champion of intellectually disabled people and the father of an intellectually disabled member of the community.”
The Butters Foundation is a federally chartered organization providing financial assistance to projects that target the clients and families registered with the local public establishment now known as the Centre integer de santé et services sociaux de la Montérégie-ouest (CISSSMO). Founded in 1976, it has been the forerunner in Quebec for deinstitutionalisation and integration of persons with intellectual disabilities. It supports a whole-family approach by helping parents meet the challenges of raising a disabled or autistic child in today’s hectic social environment.