A major donation from the Montreal Real Estate Foundation for Kids

Montreal Real Estate Foundation for Kids officially presents a major gift of $445,000 to the Marie-Vincent Foundation, for the first, one-of-a-kind, Centre d’expertise en agression sexuelle Marie-Vincent, to help children in Quebec

Montreal, July 19, 2007 – Following its extensive fundraising campaign, the Montreal Real Estate Foundation for Kids (MREFK) was able to present today a significant contribution, in the amount of $445,000, to the Marie-Vincent Foundation, for the purpose of setting up the first, one-of-a- kind, Centre d’expertise en agression sexuelle, intended to help children in Quebec.

“This donation is the largest ever received by the Marie-Vincent Foundation,” announced Jean Saint-Onge, chair of the Foundation’s Board of Directors. “We wish to express our deep gratitude to the Montreal Real Estate Foundation for Kids, as well as to all partners who have worked together to make our Foundation’s property acquisition initiative a reality. This extraordinary contribution makes it possible for us to set up a permanent base for both the
Foundation’s offices and those of the Centre d’expertise en agression sexuelle Marie- Vincent.” Mr. Saint-Onge also recalled that, as the sole organization in the French-speaking world offering specialized services to child victims of sexual assault and their loved ones, the Centre d’expertise en agression sexuelle Marie-Vincent represents a social innovation. The Centre is also associated with the Marie-Vincent Interuniversity Chair, of which the incumbent’s mandate is to build expertise within Quebec in the areas of screening for – and treating the consequences of – sexual assaults in children under 12 years of age.

At the official cheque presentation ceremony, Renée Vézina, President of the Montreal Real Estate Foundation for Kids, declared: “Today’s donation by our organization is truly exceptional, since it represents the outcome of an unusual collaborative effort by a number of real estate companies operating in Montreal. The major fundraising campaign spearheaded in 2005–2006 by Fernand Perreault, President of CDP Capital, provided stakeholders in the field of real estate with an unprecedented opportunity to rally together, and we extend a special thanks to our key partners: the Fondation Québec Jeunes; SITQ; the Oxford Properties Group; BOMA Quebec; the Urban Development Institute of Quebec; RBC Capital Markets; Roche ltée Groupe-conseil; Johnson Controls; Espace magazine; Les Affaires weekly newspaper; and three law firms, Ogilvy Renault ; Blake, Cassels & Graydon, and Borden Ladner Gervais. On behalf of the MREFK Board of Directors, I am extremely proud to present this donation cheque to the Marie-Vincent Foundation, which will use it to set up a permanent facility for the first Centre d’expertise en agression sexuelle serving Quebec’s children – a unique venture in North America. As a real estate initiative intended to provide direct assistance to children in a very special manner, this venture is a perfect fit with our own Foundation’s objectives.”

Since 1975, the Marie-Vincent Foundation’s mission has been to help Quebec children up to 12 years of age who are ill-treated or, in particular, victims of sexual assault. The funding received is used to finance the activities of the Centre d’expertise en agression sexuelle and the Marie-Vincent Interuniversity Chair. The Foundation also carries out an extensive public awareness campaign and offers financial assistance to community organizations that help children, in various regions of Quebec, who are victims of maltreatment.

The Montreal Real Estate Foundation for Kids (MREFK) is a registered charity, the mission of which is to help underprivileged, sick or disabled youth living in the Greater Montreal Area. The MREFK’s primary goal is to essentially focus on the real estate needs of organizations that work with young children.