I won’t tell you about Guy Lafleur, the hockey legend, but about Lafleur, the man and his contribution to improving the society in which he lived.
Posted yesterday at 9:30 a.m.
I had the chance to meet him in the 80s for the Society of Handicapped Children cause. Very early on, I was able to detect in him some of the essential values that I have encountered during my 50 years of working in the world of volunteering and philanthropy.
These values are humanity, simplicity, empathy for others and, above all, what has been my mother’s motto throughout her life: life is there to help others…
After so many years of volunteering, I have a call from the President of the Fondation du CHUM. Julie Chaurette asked me to become an ambassador for the cause, I accepted with pleasure in 2020. Subsequently, I saw Mr. Lafleur again at the hospital golf tournament, the idea came to me to approach him to ask him if he wanted to come and join us. I asked Ronald Corey, Serge Savard, these doctors, Nicolas Noiseux and Pasquale Ferraro, to take the first steps. He accepts immediately after the call I made to him.
– I am sorry to have disturbed you.
He said to me, “You never bother me”.
I would have understood very well a refusal on his part.
He committed body and soul to the creation of the Guy Lafleur Fund to raise funds to finance cancer research, which raised almost $2 million. The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Fondation du CHUM, Marc Tremblay, with his team, including spokespersons and ambassadors Claude Meunier and Jonathan Drouin, we were impressed by his commitment. He took the time to respond to each of the donors with kindness and simplicity… without ever complaining about his own condition.
My commitment to these organizations allowed me to understand two essential things: volunteering is fundamental to the functioning of a society; the government could not replace the voluntary work of its citizens. Guy Lafleur, the man, understood this too and we are all indebted to him.
Guy often talked to me about his family, his friends and his hobbies.
It is now up to us to thank him for his contribution to our society, his sense of listening…
I will end with this quote from Shakespeare: “Good night, sweet prince. May angels sing you to your final sleep”.
My most sincere condolences to the family. Thanks to Lise and the boys.