ACFA Centralta Director Josee Cote and Sheila and Lucien Houle. – Lucie Roy Photos
by Lucie Roy
Radio-Canada presented a Francothon on Saturday at the Community Centre in Legal.
The event included a spaghetti supper, silent auction and a painting was auctioned off that artist Jacques Martel created live during the event from a blank canvas at the start of the evening.
The Franco-Albertan Foundation (FFA) is a community foundation whose goal is to have a positive influence and impact on the social, cultural and economic development of the Francophone in Alberta.
Speaking at the event from the Foundation was Eric Preville, President Foundation Board of Directors and Joel Lavoie, Director, Pierre Damour President of the ACFA Centralta region and David Frechette, who was also the auctioneer.
More than 40 people from St. Albert, Morinville, Edmonton, and Legal gathered at the event to support one or all of the three funds.
There was the Territorial Fund for the Francophonie of Centralta which provides the delivery of charitable programs in French in the Legal, Morinville, and St. Albert region.
There was also the option to provide a donation to the Carole D. Frechette Scholarship Fund. David Frechette was there to speak on the endowment fund and how it was one of his wife’s last wishes.
The fund is to be used to support students who assist in school and for single-parent students studying in medicine or education.
There was also to option to donate to the Henri-Lusson endowment fund.
Lusson emigrated in 1951 from the Anjou region of France to northern Alberta where he became a rancher.
He purchased Hereford cattle, then registered a herd of 30 Charolais which expanded to about 100.
Henri and Odette Lusson were recognized by the Alberta Charolais Association in 2007 for their contribution to the establishment of the Charolais breed in the province.
Every year the Foundation donates more than 110,000 back to the communities.
More than $1700 was raised on Saturday with funds still coming in.
Jacques Martel working on the print depicting a local area of Legal.
