Countdown - 4 Months!

By Isabelle Privé


That's right! Only 4 months to go! The time is really flying! Our preparations, fund-raising, volunteer work and training have been going on for 14 months already and we're more motivated than ever to carry on till we reach (we hope) the top of Kilimanjaro.

Volunteer work

On Saturday April 28th, six girls from the team met up to participate, with over 1000 runners, in the second edition of the 5 km ARATED-M  Autism Marathon. Socializing and raising awareness about autism and PDD (pervasive developmental disorder) were the order of the day. The team is always proud to participate in these activities and to encourage the organizers who are so devoted to their different causes. Our next volunteer activities: Accueil Bonneau on May 6th, the Dystrowalk on May 12th and Relais Pour la Vie in Deux-Montagnes on June 1st.

Training

We are persevering with individual and group training. Some are sticking religiously to their weekly Sunday stair-climbing on Mont-Royal (Keep it up, Richard!). For others, it's jogging, boxing, boot camp, stairs, cycling, kung-fu, ellipticals, mountain trekking - anything goes if it helps to improve fitness and get us up Kilimanjaro! We are at the most intensive stage of our training and we're accomplishing a lot of steps on the way to the summit!



Translated by Pamela Gauvin

Love and Dignity on the Menu

By Isabelle Privé


Last Saturday, several members of the team paid a second visit to Accueil Bonneau to help with a meal. I was privileged to be part of it.

Acceuil Bonneau isn't just about giving a meal to the homeless. Accueil Bonneau is the purest form of love, friendship and generosity.

We were given a visit round the premises when we arrived and the "little sister" who showed us round told us about its history. Highly organised, they provide clothes (already washed and ironed), haircuts, even help with the budget. It all goes like clockwork.

It's already a lot. But do you know what she said does the most good for the people who go there? It isn't so much the soup, the pair of socks or the haircut. It's the welcome, the smile and and the fact of just being noticed by someone.

I can vouch for that. My job at the meal on Saturday was to welcome them, collect their entrance tickets (handed out by another volunteer at the door) and give them a tray on which my colleagues could serve the meal. I was so impressed and touched by their pleasant manner and politeness. It was a cold day so they took the tray I handed them with cold hands but with a look, a smile and a thank you. Simple things, but I felt the pride behind them. And I too was proud because, for once, I looked beyond the itinerant at the corner of the street. I saw a human being like me, like everybody.

The sisters who run Accueil Bonneau thanked us for volunteering. It's funny, but I had the impression that we should have been the ones to say thank you. Thank you for allowing us to share in this exercise in love and friendship and for reminding us that a simple smile can be as warming as a  plate of soup. A lesson in living to remember and to pass on. And thank you to the Kili 2012 project for giving me the excuse I needed for going there. Another summit!

Translated by Pamela Gauvin

Fund-raising for the Horn of Africa

By Isabelle Privé

The generosity of SCD employees was again in evidence last Thursday when we held a fund-raising activity in aid of the Red Cross and, through them,  famine victims in the Horn of Africa. Over 12 million people are affected by this tragedy and, as we'll be in Africa next year, we felt particularly moved to do our part, as part of Team Kili-2012's voluntary programme.
A half and half draw and sales from our Kili-2012 Corner Shop brought in over $500 which we'll be donating to the Red Cross. WOW!!

Our stand had a very African and Kili atmosphere, with African music from Philippe Noel and a photo-video presentation of Team Kili-2012. Our cabinet maker Pierre had made a superb replica of the wooden sign that we'll be able to touch next year at 5895 meters. We also wore our attractive shirts bearing the logo designed by Viky Pomerleau. Thank you to all these people. We particularly appreciated the generous offer of help from non-members Viky and Philippe.

This event also served to introduce our members and our project to SCD employees who were perhaps unfamiliar with the project and with our mission to promote health, social responsibility, teamwork and physical activity.

Thanks to our employer who allowed us to put on this fund-raising event in aid of the Horn of Africa, and contributed to it by their support. It was a perfect example of team-work. Well done!

THANK YOU!

Translated by Pamela Gauvin

A Morning at Accueil Bonneau - and - Bravo Catherine

By Isabelle Privé

Last Saturday 4 Kili members - Manon M., Nathalie, Manon F. and Rosanna with her daughter -  had arranged to meet at Accueil Bonneau to help with the preparation and service of about 480 meals. After a short visit round the premises, they made sure that everything was ready to welcome the needy people who would be coming to eat what could well be the only meal of their day. They include the homeless as well as families, students and old people.

The Kili members were impresssed by the organisation and efficiency in the preparation and service of the meals. Starting at 8h00 in the morning, volunteers prepare the meal and serve it to over 450 people. At midday, it's all over, including the washing-up!

A return visit is planned in November to help with this essential work. Poverty spares no-one and it's always rewarding for those, like us, who are among society's more privileged, to give some of their time.

Thanks to our hosts for their welcome and for allowing us to have this unforgettable experience.

Bravo Catherine

We'd like to congratulate our Kili team member Catherine who took part this weekend in the Défi-vélo 24 hours in aid of the Make-a-Wish Foundation.

Catherine was part of the SCD (Service de Cartes Desjardins) relay team who, between them, cycled for 48 hours to raise money for this foundation which allows sick children to live their dream.

Bravo Catherine and all the team for having succeeded in this demanding feat for such an excellent cause!

Translated by Pamela Gauvin

Voluntary Activities - Update

By Isabelle Privé

On May 16, we published an article about our intention to do voluntary work for different charitable causes. (See Team Kili-2012 now has a cause .....or several....)

How's it going 3 months later?

Well, Team Kili members have been very busy! We walked to support a team at Relais pour la Vie, we manned the phones for Opération Enfant Soleil and we participated in the Grande Corvée in Monterégie.

And that's just for starters!

The autumn is going to be busy for Team Kili-2012 volunteers. Several have decided to get personally involved with children at Sainte-Justine Hospital. They'll spend time each week with "their" children, keeping them company, playing with them and listening to them. This in turn gives the parents a badly needed break.

Others are going to help out at Accueil Bonneau, starting on September 10. Helpers are in demand constantly, to prepare and serve meals to the needy. This will be a regular activity for us.

We're preparing a Kili team to participate in the Course à la Vie on October 2. Together we hope to contribute at least $400.00 to the fight against breast cancer.

Again, this is only a beginning, as our volunteers are always looking for more ways to get involved.

A different choice

Many groups decide to finance their Kilimanjaro ascent collecting funds by associating with a particular cause.

Our decision to finance ourselves separately and to involve ourselves voluntarily in different causes has sometimes led to misunderstanding and reticence.

However, we are really proud of our choice. Even if it's longer, more difficult and les popular, we have no regrets. We are living the most extraordinary human experiences and our team has been strengthened and united by the feeling of personal accomplishment that comes with the gift of self. Maybe our way's not "in", but it's Team Kili-2012's trade mark. A team that dares to be different!

Translated by Pamela Gauvin

The Joy of Giving...

By Isabelle Privé

Thanks to the generosity of the clients, grocery packing at Maxi's in Laprairie allowed us to make just over $1000! Out of this amount, we were delighted to make a donation of $102 to the President's Choice Foundation.

Once again, we'd like to thank the Laprairie Maxi employees for their kindness and their welcome, especially Mme Clémence Lapierre who  went out of her way to offer us supplementary dates.
                                                     See you again in September!

Congratulations to the Team Kili-2012 members who managed to pack up all the orders without squashing a single loaf of bread......

Translated by Pamela Gauvin

Janie's Day in Montérégie

By Janie Brunet

Hello everyone,

I'd like to share my day with you -  Sunday, June 13, at the Montérégie  GRANDE CORVÉE. (a collective labour of love after major flooding)

First of all, I adored my day. No problems afterwards except a bit of muscle cramp in my arm. We worked two to a sandbag because the water made them too heavy for one person. If I'd owned a company dealing in earthworms, I'd have made a fortune!

We were 10 to a team and, when you see what we accomplished, you realise what a difference it makes when you're determined to get it done. The people we helped were all 80 and over. If you'd seen the expression on their faces. People living so near to us and so desperate for help.

If you have the capacity and the time, it feels so good to help in this way..

Translated by Pamela Gauvin

A Great Weekend of Moving Experiences

By Isabelle Privé

Several members of our great team decided to get into action this weekend and participate in 2 events in aid of important causes: the battle against cancer and the Enfant Soleil telethon.

On Friday evening, 3 of us - Geneviève, Rosanna and myself - went to encourage colleagues and friends who were walking all night in aid of the battle against cancer in the Relais pour la Vie at Deux-Montagnes. This event raised the amazing sum of $100 000!

It was a very emotional evening, watching the parade of survivors with their families and others who are still fighting the disease. It was very moving to see the hundreds of candles lit in the memory of those who had died and to support those who are continuing the fight. The depth of the experience easily made up for a bit of stiffness the next morning. Thanks to Marjorie, who welcomed us into her team to walk a few hours together and to experience such an evening!

Congratulations to the organisers ....Among the articles on sale to raise funds,  I found a ring with a flashing light - rather nice!

*****

On Saturday and Sunday, Catherine, Bruno-Pierre, Geneviève, myself and other members of the team were happy to give some of our time to answer the phones and help to raise funds for Opération Enfant Soleil. It was the first time I'd helped in a telethon and I really enjoyed it. Quebeckers are truly generous people. I was extremely touched by a call from someone with very little money but who wanted to help anyway. This event is extremely important in advancing care for sick children and we were proud to take part in it. The 24th telethon was an enormous success, collecting over $17 million!

Translated by Pamela Gauvin

Team Kili-2012 Now Has a Cause.... or More...

By André Lachapelle

Since the beginning of our fund-raising activities, we've had lots of support from Desjardins employees and from our families. The aim of these activities is to get more people involved as our costs are so high: transport, ascent, equipment, vaccinations, etc.. As a way in which to thank everyone who helps us, Team Kili-2012 has decided to volunteer our time and get involved in the community.

Our mission is to volunteer in different charitable, non-lucrative organisations, foundations and clubs. So, during the next 16 months, 30 volunteers (25 from Desjardins) will be giving their time, energy and  talents towards improving well-being in the community. Our first event will be on June 5 when 4 of us will man the phones for the Téléthon Opération Enfant Soleil 2011.

Other forthcoming activities - serving meals to the homeless, giving moral support in children's hospitals and visiting homes for the elderly, etc.. It's nice to receive, but it's equally important to give of oneself, to offer help and support wherever it's needed. Team Kili-2012 members are amenable, open-spirited, generous and full of empathy for others. If you know of a place where our presence could make a difference, don't hesitate telling us about it and we'll be very happy to help on your behalf.

Translated by Pamela Gauvin