From left to right: Maud Leclerc and Rémi Racine, Fondation Leclerc-Racine, Fabienne Audette, Managing Director – Fondation des jeunes de la DPJ and Yvon Roy, Chair of the Board – Fondation des jeunes de la DPJ, Marie-Hélène Vendette, Senior Director, Philanthropic Development and Communications – Fondation des jeunes de la DPJ, Bianca Larochelle, Assistant Provincial Director of the DYP at CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l’Île-de Montréal, Danika Bouchard, Senior Analyst – Philantra Foundation
It is with infinite gratitude that the Fondation des jeunes de la DPJ announces a historical $1.2-million donation from Maud Leclerc and Rémi Racine, through their family foundation. This donation will be directed toward the development of children aged 0 to 5 followed by the Director of Youth Protection (DYP) and will have a significant impact on the well-being of vulnerable young children in several regions across Quebec.
The Leclerc-Racine donation will be used to set up an innovative project to encourage the development of children aged 0 to 5 under the care of the DYP, in Montreal, the Quebec North Shore and Nord-du-Québec. Part of the funds will also be allocated to foster homes caring for youths with specific needs across Quebec.
The support provided to young children will focus on three main areas—perinatal support, overall development and food security. Bear in mind that more than 13,500 children aged 0 to 5 were taken into the care of the DYP in Quebec in 2022, including a high percentage resulting from reports made in the Quebec North Shore and Nord-du-Québec. This situation convinced the couple to extend their support into these regions to provide direct assistance tailored to the needs of these young children.
Having adopted two young children from abroad, we both know, Rémi and I, how much the first years of life are crucial and have a decisive impact on someone’s life. So the idea came to us while we were listening to a moving radio interview about the difficult transition for youths in the care of the DYP when they reach adulthood. We would work with the Philantra Foundation to partner with the Fondation des jeunes de la DPJ.
This foundation was exactly the right organization for turning our intention into concrete action. From the first moment, we appreciated the great discussions we had with this attentive and caring team. We are confident in their ability to develop and set up innovative interventions for our young children.
It is the largest personal donation ever made to the Fondation des jeunes de la DPJ, and the most extensive philanthropic involvement by the couple, through their Fondation Leclerc-Racine. It will fund the setup of an innovative project for young children by supporting them in the fundamental aspects of their lives. The donors’ intent is to help these children make a smooth transition to school.
We are infinitely grateful for Maud and Rémi. They have not only shown a desire to act and their extraordinary generosity, they also share our organization’s vision of the future and desire to make an impact. The couple lives in Montreal and wanted to make a real impact on their community. They are also making funds available to other regions to help more youths in Quebec. This is an inspiring example of a vision based on modern philanthropy.
As directors of youth protection–provincial directors of four different regions in Quebec, we are deeply touched to see philanthropists concerned by the situation of children who get placed in our care. This collaboration between the Fondation des jeunes de la DPJ, directors of youth protection–provincial directors, and local and regionally concerned community organizations will help address local challenges. This shows that, collectively, we can all make a difference in the lives of children, youths and families. On their behalf, we wish to extend our appreciation to the Leclerc-Racines family and the Fondation des jeunes de la DPJ.