Awarded on: 2007-06-11
Eleanor Beattie, Montreal, Quebec
Governor General's Caring Canadian Award
Since 1991, Eleanor Beattie has worked tirelessly on behalf of people afflicted by mental illness. She is the co-founder and first president of L'Abri en Ville and continues to serve as a regular volunteer for this organization, which provides permanent housing and social support to adults suffering from mental disabilities. She has helped create similar programs in other Montreal communities and has also assisted in the publication of a bilingual guide to establishing similar residences across Canada. Since 2000, she has been a board member of AMI-Québec (Action on Mental Illness), helping families to manage the effects of mental illness through education and advocacy.