THE FOUNDATION’S ACTIVITIES

An art auction

On December 4, 2010, we organized an auction to sell the works of art bequeathed to the Foundation by Hélène Pedneault. Many friends of Hélène participated at this activity and bought some of the art, the auction enabled us to collect some $4,000. The remaining art works were sold later to private collectors, friends of the Foundation and at a specialised Auction House.

A Tribute to Hélène Pedneault
An exceptional benefit evening

AMOURS ET AUTRES SOULÈVEMENTS

Madame Andrée Lachapelle

AMOURS ET AUTRES SOULÈVEMENTS, an unforgettable evening, was held at the Lion d’Or last March 9, 2010 to pay tribute to Hélène Pedneault, a well-known writer and polemicist, who passed away in December 2008 and bequeathed her worldly belongings to the Lea Roback Foundation. In a production staged by Alice Ronfard, a dozen stage artists and vocalists performed and presented at no cost numerous delectable texts written by Hélène and sang a few of her favourite songs: Emmanuel Bilodeau, Sophie Cadieux, Évelyne de la Chenelière, Sophie Faucher, Monique Fauteux, Andrée Lachapelle, Sylvie De Morais, Marie-Claire Seguin, Mani Soleymanlou, Sylvie Tremblay and Yves Soutières. Also, Philippe Noireaut (at the piano), Nicole Boudreau (organizer) and Ariane Émond (conceptor and host).

Warm thanks to everyone.

We will keep in memory an excerpt from a text written by Hélène Pedneault for the World March of Women in 2000, and that was dedicated to Lea Roback.

“We’re not going back, never.
We’re uncompromising, unwavering,
Immortal and from this day
Forward irrepressible.
Our revolution is irreversible.
You can take that to the bank.”

Scholarships awarded for 2010-2011 and 2011-2012

The Foundation has the wind in its sails

The scholarship recipients come from several regions across the Province of Quebec. Some are permanent residents. Accordingly, over the past two years the Foundation has awarded scholarships to women from Colombia, Haiti, Cameroon and Burundi. For these women, going back to school is not only an important means for integrating into their environment, but often a necessity to help them adapt the things they've learned in their native country to the academic requirements that exist in the Province of Quebec.

A popular saying proclaims that it's never too late to do the right thing, and it's never too late to go to school and get the training needed to land a better job. The Foundation grants scholarships to women of all ages. In 2011, the women applying for scholarships were between 18 and 57 years old. The 2010 and 2011 scholarships were awarded for training at all educational levels: high school (7); college (8); University Certificate (4); and, Bachelors Degree (7).

Would you like to find out more about our Foundation scholarship recipients?
Would you like to learn more about our activities?
Read our "newsletters and annual reports";

In Lea’s name

The Lea Roback Research Centre on Social Inequalities and Health, based in Montreal

In October 2004, the Lea Roback Centre on Social Inequalities in Health was created in Montreal. Executive Director Marie-France Raynault, Scientific Director Louise Potvin and a 26-member team of physicians, sociologists, political scientists, demographers and public health specialists are dedicated to understanding why and how social inequalities become health inequalities. The Centre will thus play an influential role with the public, media and decision-makers, indicating courses of action to improve the lot of low-income earners.

According to the directors, the name of the Centre is highly significant. "Lea Roback was actively involved in every area that we now associate with social determinants of health: work, housing, living conditions, etc. For us, she is a symbolic figure and a source of inspiration." The Lea Roback Foundation and its friends are delighted with the choice.

http://www.centrelearoback.ca/

The Maison Parent-Roback

Since July 1998, the Maison Parent-Roback has housed 11 women’s groups working to improve the lot of women in Québec and around the world.

As a hub of services for Québec organizations defending and promoting women’s rights, the Maison Parent-Roback is also a catalyzing symbol for the women’s movement.

Carrefour de services accessibles aux organismes québécois de défense et de promotion des droits des femmes, la Maison Parent-Roback est aussi un véritable symbole catalyseur du mouvement des femmes.

Eager to be involved in this far-reaching work, the Lea Roback Foundation donated a monument to the Maison Parent-Roback. This gift was made possible thanks to Sculptor Armand Vaillancourt’s great generosity and financial support by Fondaction, Bâtirente and the Caisse d’économie solidaire Desjardins. The artist completed the work in November 2003 at the request of the Lea Roback Foundation to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Lea Roback’s birth. This powerful and luminous work, entirely in black and white, contains 36 lights and is surmounted by a flame. Quotations from Lea are inscribed on the base, and the artist’s signature encircles the column “as if I were hugging her…” explained Armand Vaillancourt, a great admirer of Lea.

The sculpture is on permanent display in the entrance hall of the Maison Parent-Roback, at 110 rue Sainte Thérèse, in Old Montreal.

All rights reserved © Lea Roback Foundation 2002, 2005 and 2010

Tous droits réservés © Fondation Léa-Roback 2002, 2005 et 2010