Pharmascience helps out over 12 non-profit groups

Pharmascience’s annual Community Partnership Day began in 2011 as a volunteer initiative by Vice-president Ben Lemelin (pictured below with his 2016 Team), in partnership with Volunteer West Island. The event was named in honour of the company’s co-founder, Morris Goodman, who celebrates his 85th birthday this year. Since its inception, this annual volunteer event has seen a steady rise in employee involvement each year. More than 100 Pharmascience volunteers took part that first year, helping out at 12 non-profit community groups; in 2016 over 390 employees participated, lending a hand at 33 community organizations!

The event is coordinated in collaboration with Volunteer West Island’s Corporate Volunteer Recruitment program. With ideal weather conditions and a warm welcome from community group coordinators and staff, the energy and enthusiasm were palpable as teams of employees from the company’s five Montreal sites fanned out across the Montreal area to lend a hand, exemplifying the company motto Pharmascience Cares.

“The Morris Goodman Community Partnership day is an important day of the year for Pharmascience employees where we recognize the importance of caring for our communities”, said David Goodman, Chief Executive Officer, Pharmascience Inc.

Addressing the employee-volunteers at the early morning Kick-off Breakfast Morris Goodman stated, “This is a good way for us to show that we are committed to giving back to the communities where we live and work”.

And give back they did. Among the many community groups that hosted Pharmascience volunteers were WIAIH’s Angelman Centre, Animatch, Centre Bienvenue, Centre Communautaire St-Antoine 50+, Centre multi-ressources de Lachine, Dispensaire Diététique de Montréal, Éco Quartier – Laval, Fondation MIRA, Fondation Québécoise du Cancer, Héritage Laurentien, I Can Dream Theatre, La corne d’abondance, La Croisée de Longueuil, La foundation pour Enfants Diabétiques, Le CCSE Maisonneuve, Le Nichoir, Le Partage la Prairie, Le Partage Ste-Catherine,

Le relais communautaire de Laval, Maison de la Paix Longueuil, Maison Marguerite de Montréal, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Marché St-Pierre, Moisson Montréal, Moisson Rive-Sud, Montreal Oral School, NDG Food Depot, Omega Community Resources Day Centre, WIAIH’s Pat Roberts Day Center, Salvation Army’s Booth Centre, The Teapot 50+ Center, Tyndale-St-Georges Community Centre, and Welcome Hall Mission. It is first and foremost Pharmascience’s sense of caring which results in the sense of community”, said Carlos Ramirez, Finance Integration Business Partner at Pharmascience.

Everyone had a good time and a lot was accomplished. “What greater achievement is there than helping the less fortunate in our society while team-building with our colleagues!? As a society, it should be our civic duty, through schools and corporations, to give back on a yearly basis,” said Pasqualina Passarelli, Sales Coordinator at EPNDOPHARM, a division of Pharmascience Inc.

With corporate volunteers and community groups working together, there are endless possibilities for making our community a better place to live, work, and play!