Sophie had just been hired in the communications department at the Downtown YMCA when the pandemic hit. Although she was suddenly no longer needed, she was determined to help and immediately contacted the community program managers to lend a hand.
She first worked with Cantine Mobile, a program implemented during the first wave of the pandemic, which provides meals to vulnerable people. Every day, she would crisscross the city parks handing out lunch boxes and essential items. It was while she spent day after day helping the people who needed it most, that everything suddenly clicked. She realized she had the ability to really make a difference in people’s lives.
Sophie took her work a step further and today manages the Réseau d’action communautaire program, where she leverages her expertise by guiding young participants in community action projects. She hopes that they too will experience their “aha moment” and have a concrete impact in their community.
A charitable organization whose mission is to encourage and inspire all people to fulfill their potential, thrive and contribute to their community, the YMCAs of Québec offer programs in more than 30 points of service and virtually across the province, as well as operating an International Language School, YMCA Residence and Camp YMCA Kanawana.
Thanks to financial partnerships with different levels of government and the generosity of its volunteers and donors, each year, the YMCA helps more than 120,000 people to develop their skills.
As the first YMCA in North America, the YMCAs of Québec have been present in Montréal since 1851.
Since 1984, the YMCAs of Québec Foundation supports the mission of the YMCA and ensure its financial sustainability by promoting the impact it has on the community, raising funds and administering these funds responsibly.
