QUEBEC CITY, Jan. 27, 2014 /CNW Telbec/ - Thanks to financial support
from National Bank, Jovia's clown doctors will continue to make
children smile at the Centre mère-enfant Soleil of the CHU de Québec.
National Bank confirmed its donation of $150,000 over three years so
that Jovia can continue sending its therapeutic clown duos to visit
children in the hospital twice a week.
"We are very thankful to National Bank for this support. The Dr Clown
program is in high demand in hospitals and we need partners to help us
continue comforting our young patients," noted François Faucher,
Jovia's Chairman of the Board.
"National Bank developed its One for Youth program to support young people, in part by improving the healthcare
they receive. It is just one of the initiatives that led us to receive
the Outstanding Enterprise of the Year in Philanthropy award.
Encouraged by this recognition, the Bank is proud to back Jovia's
therapeutic clown program so that it can continue to bring
extraordinary joy to the region's young patients," declared France
Croteau, Regional Vice-President - Sales and Service, Personal Banking,
Quebec City.
The Dr Clown program has been a fixture in the lives of hospitalized children at the
Centre mère-enfant Soleil since 2007. The therapeutic clowns visit the
children and their loved ones in several of the centre's units, helping
to decrease anxiety while administering loads of smiles and tenderness.
"We are very happy to be able to count on the Dr Clown program to play a role in the healthcare of our patients at the Centre
mère-enfant Soleil. The smiles on our patients' faces and the echoes of
their laughs in the halls show just how valuable the Dr Clown program is," stated Suzanne Martel, Maternal/Child and Women's Health
Director, and Marc-André Dugas, Chair of the Pediatric Department at
the CHU de Québec.
JOVIA
Jovia is a charitable organization that oversees two therapeutic clown
programs, Dr Clown, mainly for children in pediatric hospitals and La
belle visite, for seniors who are no longer independent and live in
residences and long-term care facilities. Its 28 committed and
professional artists use their therapeutic clown characters to improve
the quality of life for both young and old alike, as well as their
loved ones and caregivers.
About National Bank of Canada
With $188 billion in assets as at October 31, 2013, National Bank of
Canada (www.nbc.ca), together with its subsidiaries, forms one of Canada's leading
integrated financial groups, and was named among the 20 strongest banks
in the world by Bloomberg Markets magazine. The Bank has close to
20,000 employees and is widely recognized as a top employer. Its
securities are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: NA). Follow
the Bank's activities via social media and learn more about its
extensive community involvement at clearfacts.ca and commitment.nationalbank.ca.
SOURCE National Bank of Canada
Image with caption: "2 Jovia Dr Clown in a hospital. (CNW Group/National Bank of Canada)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20140127_C5392_PHOTO_EN_35909.jpg