Sherbrooke, February 21, 2023 – The Opération Enfant Soleil team was in Sherbrooke today to award $909,517 to five establishments for the implementation of their projects, which will have a significant impact on the care pathway of children in the region. These establishments are: Hôpital Fleurimont and Hôpital de Granby of the CIUSSS de l’Estrie – CHUS, the Centre de pédiatrie sociale en communauté main dans la main, the L’Enfantaisie childcare centre (CPE) as well as the Garderie Les Minis Apprentis.
As part of its 2023 Thank You Tour, Opération Enfant Soleil will make stops in 17 regions to give its contribution to major paediatric centres as well as hospitals and organizations across the province thanks to all the efforts deployed over the past year. These sums will allow various establishments to respond to their needs in a concrete way, as well as support medical teams and offer the best care to our little ones.
“The Thank You Tour is a special moment for Opération Enfant Soleil. This is when our mission takes on its full meaning as we support the realization of more than 110 concrete, promising projects that constantly improve the care provided to children throughout Quebec. We take advantage of the tour to underline the generosity of donors, the commitment of our partners and the dedication of our volunteers because… small miracles don’t happen on their own!”- Jonathan Gendron, CEO of Opération Enfant Soleil.
Wherever we make a stop, we meet the members of healthcare teams who testify to the major impact of Opération Enfant Soleil over time, but who also underline ever-changing needs, which motivate us to continue our mission.
“Whether it is to finance small or large equipment or to carry out major projects, the support of Opération Enfant Soleil has a real and concrete impact on the care and services offered to our population. Opération Enfant Soleil is an essential partner, that helps us offer quality care to the families of our region. Thank you very much for this important contribution year after year. – Robin-Marie Coleman, President and CEO of CIUSSS de l’Estrie – CHUS
Èva Nadeau, 7, Enfant Soleil from the Estrie region
Opération Enfant Soleil is also using the Thank You Tour to introduce the Quebec population to the 17 Enfants Soleil ambassadors for the cause this year. The Estrie region Enfant Soleil is Èva, who is 7 years old.
At the age of 2 months, the first signs of her disease appeared: chills lasting one to two seconds which intensified over time and lasted longer and longer; it was discovered that these were epileptic convulsions. Èva was 6 months old when she was diagnosed with a rare condition caused by a genetic mutation, with a wide array of symptoms. There was no hope for improvement, no possible cure. Èva will never be able to speak and will be totally dependent throughout her whole life. Her parents, devastated by the news, have decided to do everything possible to support Èva and to allow their two eldest children to live as normal a life as possible. Èva’s determination is limitless and she works tirelessly to gain muscle strength and perform certain movements.
Alain Dumas, spokesperson for Opération Enfant Soleil, had the pleasure of meeting Èva and her family this morning, along with the Opération Enfant Soleil team. You’ll be able to see their meeting during the next Telethon which will take place on June 4 and will be broadcast on TVA.
PROJECTS FUNDED IN THE ESTRIE REGION
To date, nearly 16 million dollars has been donated to children’s well-being in this region. The contribution of Opération Enfant Soleil is significant, but the projects it supports are even more so. Here is more information on the projects funded this year.
| $885,220 donated to the Fleurimont Hospital of the CIUSSS de l’Estrie – CHUS
This amount will finance, among other things, the setting up of a new high-tech operating room which will make it possible to carry out ultra-specialized operations, in particular for paediatric and neonatal patients (roughly 4000 children annually, a proportion of approximately 10% of surgical activities). Thanks to this ergonomic operating room equipped with advanced technologies, it will be possible to offer more day surgeries, improve the safety of care, reduce the movement of equipment and avoid the risk of equipment breakage and/or contamination. Opération Enfant Soleil is also proud to underline the progress of the Clinique d’immunothérapie orale – Enfant Soleil (CITO) project. Funded entirely by Opération Enfant Soleil through a donation of $1,466,258 paid over the past two years, this clinic makes oral immunotherapy accessible to young patients suffering from food allergies. When a child has one or more allergies, it has an impact on the whole family. By setting up this clinic, Opération Enfant Soleil is happy to contribute to making life easier for these families, that did not have access to this curative treatment in their region before. Since its opening, more than 150 children have been treated in this clinic. Also noteworthy is the progress of the new Pavillon Enfant Soleil at Hôpital Fleurimont. This pavilion will provide the best care for children in the Estrie, Centre-du-Québec region and part of the Montérégie region. In total, Opération Enfant Soleil will have contributed 10 million dollars for this new pavilion’s construction. To date, Opération Enfant Soleil has donated $14,250,417 to this major paediatric centre. |
| $17,000 donated to Granby Hospital
This amount will finance the purchase of five wall units which can measure children’s pressure, sight, hearing and temperature. The acquisition of these devices will further prevent infections, since medical teams will no longer have to share available equipment. The funds will also finance the purchase of a physiological monitor to observe the children’s vital signs on an ongoing basis. To date, Opération Enfant Soleil has donated $397,352 to this hospital. |
The next three donations have been awarded by Opération Enfant Soleil’s Sports and Sustainable Health Fund (Fonds sport et santé durable), which aims to promote and support healthy lifestyles in children through sport, physical activity and healthy eating, as well as to nurture emotional and mental well-being.
| $2000 donated to the Centre de pédiatrie sociale en communauté main dans la main
This first donation will allow the centre to acquire the necessary equipment to launch an art therapy program which will help maintain and increase children’s motor, locomotor, memory, concentration, and self-esteem skills, to name a few. This program will notably reduce aggression, isolation, anxiety and insecurity in the children who have access to it. |
| $3850 donated to the Garderie Les Minis Apprentis
The amount will finance the purchase of ten balance bikes allowing children to work on their reflexes, confidence and motor skills as well as two parachutes which will help children improve their perceptual, social and physical skills. In addition, the organization will also be able to acquire two bicycles adapted for children with special needs. To date, Opération Enfant Soleil has donated $20,821 to this daycare. |
| $1447 donated to the L’Enfantaisie childcare centre (CPE)
This contribution will finance the purchase of tools that will allow children to develop their motor skills, such as climbing, balance, jumping, crawling, etc. To date, Opération Enfant Soleil has donated $3575 to the CPE. |
Opération Enfant Soleil: all together for children’s well-being in Quebec
Unifying Quebecers around the cause of sick children, Opération Enfant Soleil supports initiatives for their healing throughout the province. Over the past 36 years, more than $302 million has been donated through the generosity of partners, volunteers and donors. Thanks to this contribution, around a hundred projects take shape each year in regional hospitals as well as in major paediatric centres: acquisition of state-of-the-art equipment adapted to the size of children; design of comfortable and optimal care environments; proximity of care, close to home and the family; innovative research projects, to further push boundaries. Sums are also donated to organizations each year for the realization of more than 40 prevention-related projects through the Sports and Sustainable Health Fund.
To discover all the great and small miracles that your generosity will contribute to this year throughout the province of Quebec, visit our website: www.operationenfantsoleil.ca.