The 12th Annual Hug Month Raises Over $400,000

Today marked the final day of the 12th edition of the "Mois des Câlins de Sainte-Justine" (Hug Month), during which the whole province of Quebec has once again shown incredible love for the children of Sainte-Justine and their families. As a testament to the unconditional support of the public towards this heartwarming cause, the 30,000 Clarins "Rose Câlins" Lip Perfectors, available exclusively in the 346 locations of the province's Jean Coutu pharmacy network, were quickly sold, raising over $400,000 for the CHU Sainte-Justine Foundation. Credit : Martin Rego Danielle La Roche, Groupe Clarins Canada, Jean-Philippe Dion, Mitsou, Claudia Bergeron, Fondation CHU Sainte-Justine, Hélène Bisson, Groupe Jean Coutu, absent

The funds raised through this campaign, whose success is made possible by the loyal support of our invaluable partners Rythme FM, Jean Coutu and Clarins, will be donated to the CHU Sainte-Justine's Integrated Centre for Child Neurodevelopment (CIRENE), so that even more children like Loucie-Anne and Louis have early access to the most appropriate resources and care for their neurodevelopmental difficulties.
Loucie-Ann, now 5, was born with a heart defect and was hospitalized from birth; her repeated and prolonged hospitalizations have affected her overall development. She suffers from hypotonia (lack of muscle tone), which causes her to stumble when she walks and continues to limit her activities even today. Because she was tube-fed for several months as a baby, she did not properly learn how to swallow. She is still afflicted with mild eating difficulties, and also has delayed language skills... Fortunately, Loucie-Anne was quickly and efficiently taken into the care of the CIRENE team, to the great relief of her parents. She has been able to make incredible progress, in particular thanks to physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy sessions.
For his part, Louis began to show developmental delays before the age of one. When he was two and a half, after undergoing surgery to remove a brain tumour, his parents met with the CIRENE team who ultimately diagnosed him with autism spectrum disorder, which affects his ability to communicate. While he is able to make sounds, he cannot communicate normally. Little Louis, along with his friends at daycare, celebrated his 4th birthday the very same day as the launch of the 12th edition of Hug Month, January 30. His father Charles beams with pride when talking about the immense progress that his son has made since being under the care of Dr. Lionel Carment, Director of CIRENE. After attending a specialized daycare centre, Louis now attends a regular daycare with the support of an educator who helps him with self-calming and understanding the teachers' instructions.

Quebecor and TVA Publications renew their support The contribution of Quebecor and its subsidiary TVA Publications has once again enhanced the outreach of the campaign, in addition to raising $5000 through the donation of $1 to the cause for every polybagged double-issue of 7 Jours and La Semaine sold in Jean Coutu stores. The 5th edition of the "Dessine-moi un câlin" (Draw a Hug)campaign proves a huge success! The "Dessine-moi un câlin" (Draw a Hug) contest, which was open to young Quebecers aged 5 to 12, wrapped up on February 16. Some 1200 original designs, all featuring hugs as the theme, were submitted and will be reviewed by the selection committee. The budding artist whose creation is chosen as the winning entry will see their art featured on the packaging for the "Rose Câlins" Lip Protector in the 2019 edition of Hug Month. He or she will also receive a gift certificate worth $1000 to spend in a book and toy shop.

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