It probably took just one phone call to get Lassonde on board with Tel-Jeunes, which goes to show that you shouldn’t underestimate the power of a phone call! And that’s Tel-Jeunes’ mission: making sure there’s someone at the other end of the phone line for a young person in distress to turn to. Lassonde was already involved in promoting physical fitness with its sponsorship of the Montreal Marathon when the Company decided to lend its support to Tel-Jeunes in 1991.

The then fledgling organization was the logical outgrowth of LigneParents, a hotline for parents which had been getting results. The founders, Jocelyn Paiement and Céline Muloin, decided to launch Tel-Jeunes based on the same model: a telephone hotline for young people throughout Quebec. The line is staffed with volunteers ready to listen to youngsters in difficulty, whether they want to talk about the loss of a beloved pet, being bullied at school, or conflict between their divorced parents. And the volunteers can refer them to other resources for additional assistance as needed. One of LignesParents’ most popular spokespersons was comedian and author Claude Meunier, star of the French TV series Lance et compte, while famed actress Marina Orsini was the spokeperson for Tel-Jeunes from the start. The missing ingredient for success was a sponsor ready to make a firm commitment to the project.

Enter Lassonde. From 1991 onward, the Tel-Jeunes logo and hotline number have appeared on all singleserve Oasis juice boxes. Since 2002, 1$ has been donated to Tel-Jeunes for every person who registers for the Montreal Oasis Marathon. And Lassonde organizes a variety of other promotional activities, from the lobster luncheon – a very popular benefit in Montreal – to the Tel-Jeunes gala evening.

Never one to waver in its commitments, Lassonde has been steadfast in its support for the Marathon and Tel-Jeunes for more than three decades.

Next column: Recognizing social involvement…