♫ Summertime ♪♫ And the living is easy ♫*

We believe that summer should be easy. Children should be enjoying the warm weather and making memories during this reprieve from school. For children from underprivileged families, however, there is little relief.

In an effort to improve the quality of life for children who may be struggling with social exclusion and developing their self-esteem and self-worth, we have developed a number of summer programs.

Children's Services, commonly known as Club de l'Arche, spends the summer months visiting parks around Montreal. Children participate in games, skits and songs that teach morals and promote positive values.

Club de l'Arche also runs puppet workshops in social housing complexes. Over the summer, children create their own puppets and prepare a show for their neighbourhood at the end of the season.

Children's Services also helps struggling families send their children to summer camp! All this is made possible thanks to the generous donors who have the wellbeing of children at heart.

* "Summertime" composed by George Gershwin for the 1935 opera Porgy and Bess

$13,806.71 raised for Welcome Hall Mission

He used to run for the love of running. Now he runs for LOVE. Pierre completed his 9th marathon this past September. He says it was an emotional race - he had turned 60, and he was raising funds for an important cause. Welcome Hall Mission. A close family member had turned to us during a difficult time and is now on the road to recovery. Pierre is so grateful to the Mission that on his own initiative, he used the Montreal Marathon as a platform to give back: telling people about Welcome Hall Mission and raising donations.

When he heard that he could run in the Canadian Half-Marathon Championships supporting local charities including Welcome Hall Mission, he jumped at the chance!

More than 3,500 runners and walkers participated in the Scotiabank 21K de Montreal et 5K on April 17th, raising more than $355,000 dollars for local charities. Welcome Hall Mission was honoured to count the Fednav Fireflies as well as Morgan Stanley among its supporters! THANK YOU AND SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!