Throughout her life, Lea Roback (1903-2000) fought for the rights of women, peace, social justice, and universal access to education. In the 1930s, she became a trade union activist with workers in various industries in the Montreal area. From the 1960s on, Lea Roback was involved in the peace movement and the women’s movement.

Established in November 1993, on the occasion of her 90th birthday, the Lea Roback Foundation, inspired by Lea’s lifelong ideals, awards scholarships to womenresiding in Québec who are socially committed and economically disadvantaged.

Your financial support is valuable and as Marie-France Bazzo, spokesperson of the 2009-2010 fund raising campaign puts it:

         It’s not every day we have the opportunity to make a miracle happen, help a dream come true or completely change the life of an individual. For many women, the most effective, long-lasting means to accomplish this is through education. Women of all ages have come together to create training programmes of all kinds, from the simplest to the most ambitious. They have determination and talent. What they don’t have are sufficient financial resources.
That’s where the Lea Roback Foundation comes in. It directly provides scholarships to those women of courage.
Let’s help the Foundation help these exceptional students. Help us to build a richer  and more united collective future.
Let’s create a miracle!

In addition to Marie-France’s invaluable support, the Foundation’s board of directors enjoys considerable financial aid from many partners who share its objectives, including the Centrale des Syndicats du Québec (CSQ), the Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN), the Fédération interprofessionnelle de la santé du Québec (FIQ), the Fédération nationale des enseignants et des enseignantes du Québec (FNEEQ–CSN), the Fondation Solstice, the Productions Virage, the Sœurs de Saint-Joseph de Saint-Vallier, as well as a foundation and a religious congregation, both of whom wish to remain anonymous.

THE FOUNDATION’S MISSION

Promoting education thanks to your contributions

The purpose of the Lea Roback Foundation is to promote education as a means of personal and collective fulfilment and emancipation, as well as to promote universal access to education for women.

In keeping with the wish expressed by Lea Roback on her 90th birthday, the Foundation began offering financial assistance to economically disadvantaged and socially committed women who wish to embark upon or pursue studies but who cannot do so without the support.

The Foundation’s scholarships contribute to the development of independence and the collective advancement of women.

THE FOUNDATION’S ACTIVITIES

The Latest News

Scholarships awarded for 2008-2009 The Lea Roback Foundation received 85 applications from women wishing to embark on or pursue studies.

The Foundation awarded 12 scholarships, ranging in value from $1,000 to $2,500. The recipients were involved in a wide variety of areas, including high-school and general CEGEP studies, diesel motor mechanics specialization, nursing assistant training, social work, nursing, social studies, human relations, social psychology, and literary studies.

The recipients reside in various towns and regions in Québec: Chisasibi, Sherbrooke, Saint-Rémi in Montérégie, Rimouski, Saint-Jean-de-Matha in Lanaudière, Saint-Nicolas in Chaudière-Appalaches, Nicolet, Quebec City, La Baie and Montreal.

2007-2008 SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED

The Foundation received 63 requests and awarded 14 scholarships ranging from $600 to $2,800.

The 2007-2008 scholarship recipients also live in various Quebec regions: Abitibi, Bas-Saint-Laurent, Estrie, Montérégie, the Laurentians, Quebec City and Montreal.

Latest news

2007-2008
SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED

This year, the Foundation received 63 requests from women who wanted to undertake or pursue a course of studies. By the time the selection process was over, 14 scholarships ranging from $600 to $2,800 had been granted.

The fourteen candidates chosen are enrolled in very diverse fields of study such as nursing, multi-media, literacy, secondary and cegep general studies, recreational studies, community organisation, education, psycho-social intervention and social work.

They live in various Quebec Regions: Abitibi, Bas-Saint-Laurent, Estrie, Montérégie, Laurentides, Quebec and Montreal.

Held at the beginning of November, the scholarship awards provide an excellent opportunity to meet the award winners and see first-hand how invaluable these contributions are.

Dernières nouvelles

BOURSES DÉCERNÉES pour l'année 2007-2008

Cette année, la Fondation Léa-Roback a reçu 63 demandes de la part de femmes voulant entreprendre ou poursuivre des études. Elle a accordé quatorze bourses dont les montants varient entre 600 $ et 2 800 $.

Ces études s'inscrivent dans des domaines aussi variés que les soins infirmiers, les techniques d’intégration multimédia, l’alphabétisation, les études secondaires ou collégiales générales, les techniques d’intervention en loisirs, l’action communautaire l’éducation, l’intervention psychosociale ou encore le travail social.

Les boursières habitent dans diverses régions du Québec : Abitibi, Bas-Saint-Laurent, Estrie, Montérégie, Laurentides, Québec et Montréal.

La remise des bourses au début novembre est une bonne occasion de rencontrer les boursières et de constater àquel point ces contributions sont précieuses.

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.

Located in the offices of Montreal’s department of community health (Direction de la santé publique de Montréal), the Lea Roback Centre is funded by the Institute of Population and Public Health as part of a Canadian Institutes of Health Research strategic initiative to create research development centres.

THE MAISON PARENT-ROBACK

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

The Maison Parent-Roback was named as a tribute to Lea Roback and Madeleine Parent, because their lives embody history and the hope for greater social justice.

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. 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 permanently displayed in the entrance hall of the Maison Parent-Roback, located at 110 Sainte-Thérèse St. in Old Montreal.

All rights reserved © Lea Roback Foundation 2002 and 2005

Tous droits réservés © Fondation Léa-Roback 2002 et 2005