On Friday afternoon, representatives of Centraide Outaouais were in Campbell’s Bay to present the Maison des Jeunes du Pontiac with the 2020 “Coup de Coeur” award.

Centraide, known as the United Way in English, present the award every year to . . .

one of their partnered community organizations throughout the entire Outaouais region. Community Development Director Stéphanie Ayotte presented the award to MDJ Coordinator Stephane Durocher.

“Every year we have volunteers that visit our non-profits and last year the Maison des Jeunes du Pontiac was strongly recommended for all the work they do in the community, [their] communities, because they’re almost everywhere in the Pontiac. They help a lot of people,” she said.

“Of course the financial part is important but we like to see it as a partnership, so they help us raising money, its because of the work that they do that we can convince people to give money to Centraide,” she added. “So I like… the partnership.”

Durocher thanked Centraide for all the monetary and administrative assistance that they provide.

“They have financial support, they have training, actually they’re always there for us,” he said. “We talk with them often … For us, it’s very important. With that money we’re able to offer services throughout the Pontiac to different youths. They’re [a] very very important partnership with Maison des Jeunes and for the community.”

“We all have the same vision to help out and make a better life for people,” he continued. “It’s very nice. It’s for all the Outaouais region, so for us to get that it means we’re doing good work somewhere. And for us, the work we do, we have lots of volunteers, we have good partners, and without that, we would not be able to offer what we want to make a better life for the youth throughout the Pontiac.”

The presentation was held at the former library in Campbell’s Bay on Patterson Street, which the MDJ has recently turned into a youth centre. Durocher pointed to their relationship with the municipality as another important bond for the organization.

“We have a good partnership with the municipality of Campbell’s Bay, where we do offer soccer and ball,” he said. “But now we will offer in the next few weeks or so, a youth centre, in Campbell’s Bay, where [the MDJ] started in 1996. The first youth centre was on McCuaig Street where Jardin Educatif is.”

They also recently added some skateboarding ramps to the outdoor rink behind the building and they will be hosting a skateboarding workshop there on June 12 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Campbell’s Bay councillor Tim Ferrigan was in attendance for the ceremony and spoke highly of the MDJ and all the work they do.

“We’re thrilled to have them here, and work with them as we always have but on a bigger scale again, we’re quite fortunate to have access to these good people and this good organization,” he said. “Our council will always work with them and it’s very easy to do so.”

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