Community Development

Centre Philou

15-year-old Justin is always happy, mostly when he plays piano!

Photo: NathB Photograph

Three-year-old Rose cleans her face after a good meal.

Photo: NathB Photograph

Jessi, 26 years old, loves to play on the computer with her educator.

Photo: NathB Photograph

The educators are adjusting the corset of Laurent, 11 years old.

Photo :NathB photograph

Centre Philou's educators often take walks outside with the children.

Photo: NathB photograph

Children are looking at small lanterns in the Dark room.

Photo: NathB photograph

Diane Chênevert, Founder and General Manager of Centre Philou, received the Meritorious Service Medal of Canada in 2019.

Photo: Cplc Mathieu Gaudreault, Rideau Hall © BSGG, 2019

Providing Respite and Hope for Families of Severely Disabled Children

When Philippe was born in 2000, he was very ill. The first years of his life were extremely difficult. Today, he is completely dependent and suffers from severe cerebral palsy and epilepsy. And yet Philippe has become an inspiration to many and, since 2005, a facility named in his honour has been created in Montréal by Philippe’s parents after they discovered following their son’s birth that almost no resources existed to help with respite, psychological or financial issues.

he respite service is the central activity of Centre Philou, intended for 21-year-olds and under who are poly-disabled and whose physical disability takes precedence over their intellectual disability. The Centre also provides professional psychosocial and other specialized counselling to help families cope with the challenges of having a severely disabled child. Additionally, it offers an eight-week stimulation camp for children between the ages of 4 and 21 years old. Two innovative development programs, Paprika and the alternative Philou School, for children aged 0 to 5 and 21 to 29 years, respectively, are now offered at Centre Philou providing respite, education and rehabilitation in a single place.

“Through its constant support, Power Corporation has not only helped Centre Philou carry on its day-to-day work with poly-disabled children, but also made a significant contribution to the growth of the organization, which in turn will ensure the long-term well-being of these children and their families, as well as foster compassion and understanding for the most vulnerable members of our society,” says Diane Chênevert, Founder and General Manager of Centre Philou.

Diane Chênevert and Sylvain Brosseau are social entrepreneurs in the truest sense of the expression. They took a situation that many would have considered debilitating and turned it into a force for good in the community, helping families and advocating for these children with special needs.
Delia Christea
Partner and General Counsel, Power Sustainable
Director, Centre Philou Foundation

BY THE NUMBERS

46

volunteers and staff make Centre Philou possible

185

children benefit from the services of Centre Philou every year

54

children participated in the Summer Camp program and 23 in the development programs in 2018

Video

See the video from Centre Philou on YouTube.

Website

centrephilou.com/en