The third edition of the exhibit-auction Parle-moi d’amour at the Wellington Centre, which ended on March 13th, raised a total of $ 13,720 – around $ 1,500 more than last year.

About 100 works of art submitted to the auction were made by members of Les Impatients, the general public and well-known artists like the parrain de l’événement Pierre Blanchette as well as Thérèse Chabot, Clémence Desrochers, Michel Lagacé, and Jean-Pierre Seguin.

This event underscores the partnership between Les Impatients and the Wellington Centre, which started in 2009. Since then, art and art therapy workshops have been offered to clients of the Centre. Parle-moi d’amour is a testament to this collaboration, which aims to promote the recovery of people living with mental health problems.

“Above all, it is an undertaking which supports the social inclusion of our patients in the heart of our community," says Helene Racine, RN, M.Sc., Director of Nursing and Co-Director of Quality at the Douglas Institute, who presided the event with Maurice Forget, C.M., Ad.E., Of Counsel and Past President, Fasken Martineau.

The funds raised will allow the Wellington Centre and Les Impatients to continue organizing artistic activities and to provide an ideal interactive and creative space for people with mental health problems.

A big thank you to our partners and sponsors: Claude Jacques, Guy Joussemet, Charles S. N. Parent, Pratt & Whitney, Baobab café, Barefoot Wine, and photographer Stephanie Colvey.

Thank you also to our honorary committee for promoting this event throughout the community: David Bloom, MD, Medical Chief, Psychotic Disorders Program, Douglas Institute; Sonia Côté, Head of Specialized Housing, Douglas Institute; Barry Crago, Clinical-Administrative Chief of Psychosocial Rehabilitation Services, Douglas Institute ; André Landry, Team leader for Adult Mental Health, CSSS du Sud-Ouest—Verdun; Eve Landry, actress ; Francine Lévesque, art-therapist, Douglas Institute; Pierre Lord, Executive Director, Centre d’hébergement l’Entre-Toit; Pierre Lussier, journalist, Cités Nouvelles, TC Média ; Lorraine Palardy, President-Founder, Les Impatients; Suzane Renaud, MD, Psychiatrist, Bipolar Disorders Outpatient Clinic, Douglas Institute; Léon Tourian, MD, M.Sc., FRCPC, President of the Comité Bien-Être des Résidents (FMRQ); Lynne McVey, RN, M.Sc., CEO, Douglas Institute; Billy Walsh, Executive Director, Société de Développement Commercial Wellington.