The Guignolée du Dr Julien:
On December 17th, give generously to help vulnerable children

Montreal, December 6, 2011 - The 9th edition of the "Guignolée du Dr Julien" will be held in Montreal on December 17th from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Donations will be collected to help the Fondation du Dr Julien offer services to more than 2000 of the most vulnerable children every year. Taking part in the "Guignolée" means ensuring that children have access to a wide range of services that will allow them to thrive and succeed!

"The community-based social pediatrics approach allows us to meet the emotional, physical, mental and cultural needs of children, while defending their basic rights" explains Dr Gilles Julien, founder and president of the Fondation du Dr Julien. "We need your commitment and your support in order to continue helping the most vulnerable children of Quebec to succeed. We hope you can join us on December 17th in our centers and on the street!"

Both of the Foundation's community-based social pediatrics centers will be open to the public during the Guignolée to welcome visitors and receive donations: Assistance d'enfants en difficulté (AED), located at 1600, Aylwin St in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve district, and the Centre de services préventifs à l'enfance (CSPE), located at 6555 Côte-des-Neiges, suite 300, in the Côte-des-Neiges district.

Other community-based social pediatrics centers have opened their doors in other areas of Montreal and across the province. Each of these centers is self-financed. Several will be holding their annual fundraising activity (Guignolée) on the December 17th and the funds collected will be used to finance their own activities.

A neighbourhood party in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve

Once again this year, the wonderful team of Radio Canada's Première Chaîne's (95.1 FM) "Samedi et Rien d'Autre," hosted by Joël Le Bigot, will be broadcasting live from the Guignolée in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Outdoors, in front of the AED Center, families will enjoy entertainment including fire-eaters and Gumboot dancers in a festive atmosphere with musicians from the Garage à musique and various choirs. Many activities are planned for children: make-up, pony rides and, of course, a visit from the real Santa Claus.

For hockey lovers, the sports columnist Jean-Charles Lajoie will do the play by play reporting of a friendly street hockey match between youths from the Foundation and public personalities. 

A neighbourhood party in Côte-des-Neiges

To get into the holiday spirit, Côte-des-Neiges will come alive with choirs, circus acts, and percussions on the sidewalk in front of the Librairie Olivieri. Children can take part in the many activities planned in parc Kent and at the CSPE: soccer games, snowshoeing, Christmas tree decorating, an obstacle course, story telling and more. Station 27 firefighters and the SPVM cavalry will also be there.

What contributions can you make?

Donations in money will help to provide a wide range of services to families, such as stimulation workshops for children, support groups for parents, art-therapy, music-therapy and various sports and cultural activities.

The Fondation du Dr Julien also accepts donations in kind (preferably new): books, toys, educational toys, arts material, sporting equipment, clothes, tickets for cultural or sports events, gift-certificates or music instruments for the Garage à musique.

Where can you make donations?

More than 280 volunteers will be collecting donations in Montreal streets and at the Jean-Talon, Atwater and Maisonneuve public markets. The Foundation's AED and CSPE community-based social pediatrics centers will also be accepting donations in kind.

To find out more about where to make donations or to make an online donation, please go to www.guignoleedrjulien.org.

Pictures and interview requests

Émilie Russo, communication agent for the Fondation du Dr Julien and for Éve Christian, spokesperson for the Guignolée du Dr Julien: 514-528-8488, extension 253 / 514-707-2090. 

Émilie Cornut, Agence artistique Maxime Vanasse for Christian Bégin, spokesperson for the Guignolée du Dr Julien: 514-277-4842, extension 223.