For several years, many have associated Madame Sophie Desmarais’s name with a benchmark in philanthropy. She is involved in several non-profit organizations and contributes through her actions and personal commitments to improving people’s lives in the community.
Madame Sophie Desmarais is dedicated to supporting organizations that work with the most vulnerable women. Upon discovering that many women were returning to live on the streets due to a lack of financial aid and support, Madame Sophie Desmarais did not hesitate for a moment to meet with Madame Léonie Couture, the founder of La rue des Femmes, to unexpectedly announce that she would fill the financial support gap, providing a roof 365 days a year for women experiencing homelessness. This organization is deeply important to her, and she remains an active and involved partner, allowing the foundation to continue offering respite and support to these women.
In 2014, Madame Sophie Desmarais committed to indefinitely supporting the Montreal Heart Institute Foundation and its research center named after her father. As a major donor, she supports research so that everyone can benefit from the center’s advancements, which aim, among other things, to improve the daily lives of patients and healthcare professionals.
After being diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2001, Madame Sophie Desmarais had the fortune of meeting Dr. Fred Hochberg, a prominent neurologist and neuro-oncologist at Massachusetts General Hospital. For several years, she has financially supported his research, which aims to develop a treatment based on exosomes to treat liver and other incurable cancers.
Madame Sophie Desmarais is a long-time patient and friend of Dr. Nagi Khouri, an associate professor in the Department of Radiology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and director of breast imaging at the Avon Breast Center, Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. Thanks to Madame Sophie Desmarais’s generous contribution, the Breast Lectureship Fund of Dr. Nagi Khouri was established. Her involvement in this important educational program aims to support the next generation of specialists in breast cancer.
It is impossible to discuss Madame Sophie Desmarais’s various involvements without mentioning her love for music and her support for the Orchestre Métropolitain. She feels a deep pride accompanied by chills every time she attends concerts of the Orchestre Métropolitain, conducted by a man she holds in high esteem and admiration, Maestro Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Since 2021, Madame Sophie Desmarais and her sister Louise have jointly ensured the perpetuity of their maestro, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, at the Orchestre Métropolitain.
For over ten years, Madame Sophie Desmarais has personally committed to the Jasmin Roy Sophie Desmarais Foundation to support the fight against bullying, school violence, and their effects on mental health. Having been a victim of bullying herself, Madame Sophie Desmarais devotes a great deal of her time and resources to this cause to ensure its sustainability.
Her enthusiasm always overflows when presented with a project, and she never hesitates to let her creativity flow. Her goals remain the same: to influence society and act in prevention positively.
