Last week, just over a month after sharing the news that Quyon’s Maison de la Famille had lost its biggest funder, the social service centre’s four board directors provided an update on their efforts to secure the new funding needed to keep the centre’s doors open long-term.
“At our last meeting, we had no idea. We had to really dig and find out how bad things are or how good things are, and so we did. And I’m not going to lie. It was dire,” board director Shannon Purcell told those in attendance at the July 29 public meeting. “We didn’t sink. And I’m not going to lie, we could have.”
In June the directors shared that the centre’s former director general had failed to secure the $200,000 two-year grant from the province’s Ministère de la Famille that has historically been used to pay salaries, and that as a result, the board had to let go of the family centre’s employees.
Since then, two of the employees have been volunteering their time to keep the centre’s doors open.
Purcell said she and the board’s three other members – Hollie Leach, Carolyn Kenney and Ashley Carson – have been working non-stop to get the family centre’s financial and administrative files in order so the non-profit can eventually re-apply for the grant, but that they are not sure when that will be.
Purcell shared the board has successfully reopened communication channels with the ministry, and is looking at setting up a meeting to discuss next steps.
“[It’s] to discuss where we go from here. Yes we didn’t get the funding for this year, but what can we do,” Purcell said, noting Pontiac MNA André Fortin has been helping them navigate the ministry’s demands.
“One of our reasons why we didn’t get our money is that part of our roof needs to be replaced [ . . . ] There’s a little bit leaking, so that was a problem,” Leach said, noting they’re looking for local support to get this fixed.
Board members said the non-profit still had the basic funding needed to keep running its programs, including the snowsuit fund, the playgroup, as well as the back-to-school program, 25 per cent of which is covered by United Way.
The regular $20,000 or so that the United Way usually provides in general funding, not tied to any programs, was not renewed this year.
“Considering the loss of the funding from the ministry, our board decided it was too risky to invest and then maybe see the community centre closed,” explained United Way representative Émilie Charron Pilotte at the community meeting.
Hoping to raise $100K
The family centre board is working hard to find additional funding sources to continue paying the operational costs of keeping the building open.
Longtime family centre employee Louann Gibeault said, however, that paying any salaries would depend on the board being able to meet its fundraising target of $100,000, which she admitted was unlikely. Gibeault has been volunteering her time to keep the centre running since she was laid off in late April.
Since beginning fundraising just over a month ago, the family centre has collected about $10,000 in community donations. This amount has since been used to pay off old bills.
“The funding we’ve made so far from our fundraisers have pretty much paid 90 per cent of our expenses and bills and things that needed to be paid and up to date,” Gibeault said, emphasizing how grateful she was for the support the community has shown so far.
She said the centre does not expect to live off donations in the long-term, but this support is needed immediately to keep its doors open while the board works to re-establish more significant funders.
“People are helping. The community is helping. We’re going to get there, we will, we just need all of the support,” Gibeault said.
An additional $3,000 donation from the Quyon Lions Club has made it possible for the board to cover the family centre’s operating expenses for three months, while it works to stabilize itself.
An accountant is working on reviewing the non-profit’s finances, and preparing a financial statement for an audit to be done.
Directors said this will be ready in about a month, and the results will be presented at their next annual general meeting, which they are planning to host in September.
