Dr. Wilbert Keon school hosts girls’ career day

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Gene O’Brien (left) and Susanne Lapierre speak on their professions and growing up in the community.

Peter L. Smith



Gene O’Brien (left) and Susanne Lapierre speak on their professions and growing up in the community.

Peter L. Smith

L’ISLE-AUX-ALLUMETTES – November 8, students at Dr. Wilbert Keon School had the opportunity to   listen to several female speakers discussing their various careers. The event was organized by Girls Action Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting girls and young women to overcome barriers and reach their true potential. GAF operates on a national scale reaching over 60,000 girls and young women annually. Together with their network of over 240 community partners, the Foundation delivers cutting-edge programs that provide girls with empowerment, leadership and community action opportunities.
Carole Neville, who co-owns Labine Printers in Pembroke; Gene O’Brien, a municipal councillor and a retired employee for Hewlett Packard; Corporal Dana Dufoe, a member of the Canadian Armed Forces and a graduate from Algonquin College’s Computerized Business Program in 2001; Susanne Lapierre, a full time partner with her husband in Center Point Farms; and Lisa Lagace, an Aylmer resident who works as the Coordinator for Pontiac en Forme and Les Maisons des Jeunes du Pontiac all spoke to the girls on the many     opportunities available in the employment field.
The main speaker, JoAnne Brooks, has been an activist for social justice and is Executive Director of the Women’s Sexual Assault Crisis Centre in Pembroke. She has a passion for women and children in terms of experiences of violence and oppression. “Violence of any sort shouldn’t be tolerated. There is lots of support out there from family and friends,” noted Brooks.