National Bank Donates $150,000 to Jovia

Quebec City, 27 January 2014 - 

Thanks to financial support from National Bank, Jovia's clown doctors will continue to make children smile at the Centre mère-enfant Soleil of the CHU de Québec.

National Bank confirmed its donation of $150,000 over three years so that Jovia can continue sending its therapeutic clown duos to visit children in the hospital twice a week.

"We are very thankful to National Bank for this support. The Dr Clown program is in high demand in hospitals and we need partners to help us continue comforting our young patients," noted François Faucher, Jovia's Chairman of the Board.

"National Bank developed its One for Youth program to support young people, in part by improving the healthcare they receive. It is just one of the initiatives that led us to receive the Outstanding Enterprise of the Year in Philanthropy award. Encouraged by this recognition, the Bank is proud to back Jovia's therapeutic clown program so that it can continue to bring extraordinary joy to the region's young patients," declared France Croteau, Regional Vice-President - Sales and Service, Personal Banking, Quebec City.

The Dr Clown program has been a fixture in the lives of hospitalized children at the Centre mère-enfant Soleil since 2007. The therapeutic clowns visit the children and their loved ones in several of the centre's units, helping to decrease anxiety while administering loads of smiles and tenderness.

"We are very happy to be able to count on the Dr Clown program to play a role in the healthcare of our patients at the Centre mère-enfant Soleil. The smiles on our patients' faces and the echoes of their laughs in the halls show just how valuable the Dr Clown program is," stated Suzanne Martel, Maternal/Child and Women's Health Director, and Marc-André Dugas, Chair of the Pediatric Department at the CHU de Québec.

JOVIA
Jovia is a charitable organization that oversees two therapeutic clown programs, Dr Clown, mainly for children in pediatric hospitals and La belle visite, for seniors who are no longer independent and live in residences and long-term care facilities. Its 28 committed and professional artists use their therapeutic clown characters to improve the quality of life for both young and old alike, as well as their loved ones and caregivers.

About National Bank of Canada
With $188 billion in assets as at October 31, 2013, National Bank of Canada (www.nbc.ca ), together with its subsidiaries, forms one of Canada's leading integrated financial groups, and was named among the 20 strongest banks in the world by Bloomberg Markets magazine. The Bank has close to 20,000 employees and is widely recognized as a top employer. Its securities are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: NA). Follow the Bank's activities via social media and learn more about its extensive community involvement at clearfacts.ca and commitment.nationalbank.ca .

Information(The telephone numbers provided below are for the exclusive use of journalists and other media representatives.):

Jean-François Lauzon
Advisor, Public Affairs
National Bank
514-394-6097

Diane S. Labelle
Executive Director
Jovia
514-845-7628, ext. 223
dg@jovia.ca


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