Feb 28, 2013- 10:13 AM
Library named for Desjardins founder
Thanks to the donation, the foundation has now raised $4.3 million for student bursaries and college facilities, making it just $700,000 short of its $5-million goal.
“It's a great honour to have Desjardins contribute $500,000 to our campaign,” Boréal foundation chair Mike Mayhew said.
“It's given us a push to the next level. We're on the tail end of closing our campaign. Their contribution today is very appreciated.”
In appreciation of the donation, the library at Boréal's Sudbury campus is being named in honour of Alphonse Desjardins, who founded what's now known as Desjardins Group in the early 20th century.
Boréal president Denis Hubert-Dutrisac extended a “big thank you” to Desjardins group for the donation.
Alphonse Desjardins, who died in the 1930s, was a “great Francophone visionary,” he said.
“Founder of the first Desjardins caisses populaires, his vision was to contribute to the development and growth of individuals,” Hubert-Dustrisac said, in a press release.
“Naming our resource centre after him is symbolic, but also demonstrates the excellent partnership that has developed our two institutions from the start. More than 65,000 students and visitors to the Alphonse-Desjardins Resource Centre will benefit from this collaboration every year.”
Donat Boulerice, president of the Federation of Caisses Populaires of Ontario, said Desjardins tries to make contributions to the communities in which it operates. There's several Desjardins locations in Greater Sudbury.
When it does make donations, they tend to be in the education sector, he said.
“Due to its co-operative nature, Desjardins intrinsically wishes to fuel durable prosperity in society,” Boulerice said, in the press release.
“Accordingly, Desjardins and Collège Boréal are in complete agreement. Thanks to this partnership, our two institutions are working hard to achieve this common social vision.
“Collège Boréal has been able to rely on our support since its inception, and we intend to maintain this partnership in the long term.”
Desjardins is pleased that Boréal chose to name its library in honour of the company's founder, Boulerice said.
Hubert-Dutrisac said he has no doubt that Boréal will not only meet but exceed its $5-million fundraising goal.
That's what happened in 2006, when the college's foundation was trying to raise $2.5 million, but ended up raising $5.2 million, he said.
