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 Valérie and Sophie LeVasseur |
Sophie and Valérie LeVasseur are two very motivated sisters who are making a difference in their community in a variety of different ways.
Sophie, 16, has been heavily involved with volunteering and fundraising for many vulnerable groups including young girls, veterans and kids with hearing deficiencies.
Along with her fundraising efforts, Sophie provides comfort and support to these individuals through her volunteering. She is currently running a fundraising cam-paign to support enhanced research of heart issues at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario.
Apart for her humanitarian efforts, Sophie is an elite baseball and hockey player. In fact, she is the first female to play for the Ottawa Nepean Canadians baseball team.
She recently received a grant to purchase electronic equipment to allow kids with hearing deficiencies to learn to play baseball for the first time.
Valérie, 13, is actively involved in organizations catering to women’s issues, beginning with the Girl Guides, then volunteering with her local church to raise funds and Christmas gifts for children in need.
She has organized social events for the inclusion of new arrivals to Canada and was part of a group encouraging young kids to take part in sports, explaining how to play and getting free equipment.
Valérie takes great pride in the sports she plays, which include hockey, baseball and swimming and she also takes part in highlander dancing while mentoring younger dancers throughout the year.
Both sisters, who are enrolled in the sports-études program at École secondaire publique Louis-Riel, have been regular contributers to the L’Orléanais étudiant student newspaper. They’ve also published several books with the proceeds going to a variety of social causes.
One of their books entitled “A little Girl Suffers from Cancer”, resulted in Air Canada donating $50,000 to the CHEO Foundation on behalf of Valérie and the book.
Other books they’ve published include “VIMY, the duty of A Soldier and of a Country”, and “Ottawa Senators, 1923, Determinations and Courage”.
They are currently working on the completion of their latest book “The 100 Most Remarkable Women in Canada”.
The publication will have a special version available in four of the indigenous languages of the 10 indigenous women included in the book which will be distributed on First Nation reserves in Canada.
For all their efforts, Sophie and Valérie LeVasseur have been named among this year’s recipients of the Ontario Junior Citizen Awards, organized by the Ontario Community Newspaper Association.
They will officially receive their awards, along with the other 10 recipients from across Ontario, during a virtual ceremony on April 11.
CHARITY DART TOURNAMENT – Royal Oak Orléans is hosting a charity dart tournament in support of the Orléans-Cumberland Community Resource Centre Food Bank in honour of Royal Oak Day. Cost is $10/player, teams are chosen at random and there are prizes to be won! Registration at 12:30 p.m. Game time 1 p.m.
PINTS FOR POTCAKES from 11 am to 2 pm at the Stray Dog Brewing Company in support of Eastern Ontario Potcake Rescue. Beers, raffle and bake sale. Come out and have a pint while visiting with some adoptable dogs at the Stray Dog Brewing Company, 501 Lacolle Way in the Taylor Creek Business Park.
ORLÉANS FARMER’S MARKET from 11 am to 4 pm in the parking lot at the Ray Friel Recreation Complex on Tenth Line Road featuring local food vendors and producers.
THE ORIGINAL NAVAN MARKET returns to the Navan Fair Grounds from 10 am to 5 pm with more than 150 local vendors and artisans. Come and see why the Original Navan Markey has become on of the most popular outdoor markets in Eastern Ontario.Visit 
BLACKBURN FUN FAIR returns to Blackburn Hamlet with a carnival style midway, music, local vendors, a used book fair, beer garden and fireworks. For more information visit 
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