COGECO DONATES $600,000 TO THE OLD BREWERY MISSION FOUNDATION’S MAJOR FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN

From left to right: Eric Maldoff, President of the board of directors, Old Brewery Mission, Louis Audet, President and CEO, Cogeco, and President of the campaign, Old Brewery Mission Foundation, Matthew Pearce, President and CEO, Old Brewery Mission

The Old Brewery Mission Foundation acknowledges the unprecedented support of Cogeco to its See the End of Homelessness 2014-2020 Major Fundraising Campaign. This $600,000 cheque represents Cogeco’s Leadership donation.

The objective of this major fundraising campaign is to raise $26 million from private sources between now and 2020.  Louis Audet, President and CEO of Cogeco and Chair of the Campaign, has invested time and energy to put an end to homelessness. “I’ve been deeply touched by the generosity of Montréal’s business community and of Montrealers in helping our most vulnerable citizens,” stated Mr. Audet.

Cogeco’s $600,000 donation will be used to support the Old Brewery Mission’s programs and services, including the Programme de Réaffiliation en Itinérance et en Santé Mentale (PRISM) in partnership with the Department of Psychiatry at the Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM). Dr. Olivier Farmer, Head of the Department of Psychiatry at CHUM, explained that the program “helps provide psychiatric care to patients with mental health issues, while offering them a familiar environment in which they are treated and supported by a team of psychiatrists, mental health nurses and social workers. These individuals are trapped in a cycle of severe and persistent mental health issues and need help to find their way out,” he added with conviction.

To mark Cogeco’s outstanding contribution,

the PRISM program has been renamed PRISM-Cogeco

PRISM-Cogeco Program

This program, which is unique in Quebec, begins with a stabilization period during which a psychiatrist assesses the patient’s needs and initiates treatment. All members of the team then mobilize around the patient’s interests, working on everyday issues, ensuring individualized follow-up and, finally, helping the patient transition to permanent housing. “In the two years that the program has been in existence, the results have been absolutely amazing. Of 140 individuals registered in the program, 103 have been able to leave the streets after less than six weeks,” proudly added Matthew Pearce, President and CEO of the Old Brewery Mission.

Cogeco’s exceptional support enables the Mission not only to ensure continuity of the PRISM-Cogeco Program but also to improve community outreach services to the homeless. “This means that we can significantly increase our presence with a vulnerable client group in great need of support and care. For all these reasons, we are extremely grateful to Cogeco,” added Eric Maldoff, Chair of the Board of the Old Brewery Mission.