“My daughter is failing school across the board. Only at the Children’s House is she achieving anything.” – A dad
A former student of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary (SNJM) in Beauharnois, Quebec, Ms. Janine Lefebvre is also an affiliated person with the congregation. Wishing to give back to her community what she has received, she took an early retirement from a university career in art education. On October 6, 2007, she launched a non-profit organization to offer a place to practice arts and music to develop the self-esteem of children aged 5 to 12 in the region.
In a rather impoverished economic and social environment, children are often left to fend for themselves, without parental guidance or even positive support. They discover their talents through artistic and educational activities and become aware of their abilities and potential.
The Marie Rose Children’s House is “a place where each child is treated as a guest at the castle of creation. He or she can talk, think and discuss with attentive and interested adults.” Youth have access to workshops in music, painting, theater, singing, film, horticulture, dance and culinary arts. The organization also offers a reading and storytelling space in addition to significant homework help. Many other services were added later, including a café-théâtre, to become a place of culture accessible to the entire population.
Develop self-esteem
The organization’s approach brings very concrete positive results for the children who gain confidence. They clearly demonstrate the veracity of the words of artists like Gabriel Thibaudeau: “It is recognized that through art, children learn to structure themselves and acquire a critical mind.
– “Since my daughter (4 years old) comes to the Children’s House, she doesn’t stutter anymore!” – a mother
– “Since I come to the Children’s House every day, I don’t do any nonsense like I used to, I can cook, paint and do theater.” – Kristel, 9 years old
– “Here, we have peace, friendship and love of life.” – Samuel, 11 years old
– “I want to stay here for a long time, because I stopped taking drugs since I started singing” – Victoria, 13 years old
One of Janine Lefebvre’s strengths has been to surround herself with a team of cultural and healthy cooking professionals. She has thus been able to continue in the same spirit the work begun by the SNJMs in the community in 1853. The Maison des enfants Marie-Rose benefits from the financial support of the SNJM and several local organizations.
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