It is the day when all sorts of charities unite across Quebec to raise money by collecting change from drivers at stop lights and street corners. Our group volunteered to help with the collecting in Saint-Jerome. The money collected in Saint-Jerome goes to a number of different organizations, (La Maison Pause Parent and La Centre SIDA D'Amitie are two of them), to help them buy food.
Our day began at 9am in downtown Saint-Jerome. We met up with some of the other many volunteers, some of which who had been outside working since 6am, and learned a bit more about what we were doing and why. Then we were assigned a collecting bucket (decorated paint can with a small hole in the top), given a florescent vest and a Santa hat, and sent to our appointed corners. From then on we spent the day shaking our buckets, dancing, singing, having a great time, and collecting lots and lots of donations!
We had a quick break for lunch, which was a delicious soup and bread, from the Maison Pause Parent. But then we all bundled back up, and returned to the corners to continue collecting.
By the time we packed everything in and returned out buckets I had filled three collection buckets, and had a great time.
At the beginning of the day I had been unsure of the whole thing; the idea of collecting money at stoplights and street corners made me uncomfortable. But by the end I had learned a lot about the event, and I was no longer uncomfortable with it. I learned that this event is a big deal all across Quebec, and since it is so widely publicized and talked about people aren't surprised to see you. Most people already have donations ready in their cars, and some even go out of their way to find a corner where they can donate. It is an event filled with generous, friendly people who smile and tell volunteers to "Lache pas" which means "don't give up" or "keep it up". People who didn't have donations, or who had already donated felt the need to roll down their windows to congratulate you on your work and explain why they weren't donating. It is such an incredibly positive event!
La Grande Guignolée de Moisson Laurentides was a really nice event to end my three months in Saint-Jerome with and I'm so happy I got to be part of it! :)
For more information on the event, here is the webpage: http://www.lagrandeguignoleedesmedias.com/
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