The Véro & Louis Foundation is built on a shared mission and values and made possible by its dedicated team. Learn more about who we are.
To be a leader in permanent housing for autistic adults.
The mission of the Véro & Louis Foundation is to create homes for autistic adults aged 21 and over, with and without intellectual disabilities.
This is a social innovation project that validates and improves its approach in real time based on the findings of various integrated research projects. Built according to the world's best practices in architecture, the Véro & Louis Home is a permanent residence with a physical environment designed especially for autistic people.
We have also developed an educational program to support the residents and help them reach their full potential.
The values of the Véro & Louis Foundation are integral to its culture and purpose. They can be summarized in one fundamental principle: respect for difference, which is the basis of our attitudes, conduct and actions. This means offering our residents, their families and our employees the best possible conditions to enhance their well-being and quality of life.
Our core values are:
RESPECT - COMMITMENT - INNOVATION - KINDNESS
These four values are also central at Véro & Louis Homes. The values underlying respect for difference are:
COMPASSION
Each resident and their family members are treated with compassion at all times, which is integral to the approach of our services.
DIGNITY
Every resident is a human being like anyone else with the right to dignity. It’s important to respect their choices, forms of expression, reactions, interiority, and physical, moral and spiritual integrity.
ETHICS
Ethics are top of mind for all employees, volunteers and other staff members at the Véro & Louis Home in all parts of their work with residents.
SOLIDARITY
Solidarity between all team members at the Home is foundational to the assistance they provide our residents.
Watch our video to see how the whole project got started:
When we launched the Foundation in 2016, we had a big dream: to open the first home designed for autistic adults in Quebec. Our dream is now a reality: our residents have been settled in at the Varennes home since summer 2021, surrounded by the love and care of an extraordinary team.
Now more than ever, we want this home to represent a first link in a chain that allows us to share our data with other foundations so that homes dedicated to autistic adults 21 can exist in as many regions of Quebec as possible. We truly appreciate the organizations and families that forged this path before us. We have strength in numbers and can only achieve our goals through teamwork.
Since the start of this adventure, the public has given us phenomenal support through our fundraising campaigns. We have also been able to count on the incredible support of our valued partners, and our number of partners continues to grow.
Thanks to them, to you, and to everyone who speaks about the cause, organizes fundraisers, and gives their time and money, thousands of people are learning about the Foundation and the realities of autistic people and those close to them. If you’re reading this, it means you want to learn about our mission. No matter how you choose to help, we thank you on behalf of the whole team at the Foundation.
We need you as there remain many families to support and homes to build.
Véro and Louis
My dream of an adapted living environment for autistic adults is being realized. After many years of dedicated work, awareness raising and fine-tuning, the first residents will soon be moving into the Véro & Louis Foundation Home. My wishes were heard. I am immensely proud to be involved with this social innovation project that will provide a welcoming home and caring support to the autistic individuals living there while also giving their parents peace of mind. You can’t put a price on peace of mind. For moms and dads, there’s nothing like knowing that your child is living in an amazing and safe environment, surrounding by staff who care about their well-being.
Thank you for your support. Thank you for putting the spotlight on our atypical realities.
Guylaine
Godmother xx
The Véro & Louis Foundation gives many families in Quebec hope that their adult autistic child can have a safe and stimulating place to live.
Following the opening of the first Véro & Louis Home in Varennes in May 2021, it’s now time to mobilize the business community and donors so we can see our model replicated across Quebec.
The Foundation sheds light on the importance of offering autistic people the opportunity to live a full adult life, despite their limitations. Despite what makes them different, these individuals can still make their own choices, discover new interests and develop their potential. It’s a privilege to contribute to this social project that centres its decisions on the well-being of autistic people and to be part of a committed and passionate team that’s changing the world one home at a time.
Katty Taillon
Louis Morissette leads Groupe KO, a group whose entities KOTV, KO Média, KOScène and KO24 now produce a wide range of programming, including TV series, variety, documentary, fiction (KOTV), live comedy shows (KOScène) and magazines (KO Média). Similarly, KO 24 fulfills his passion for filmmaking. Holding a Bachelor of Marketing and International Commerce from McGill University, Louis has become what can only be referred to as a serial entrepreneur.
Marie Elaine Farley manages the CSF (Chambre de la sécurité financière), an organization dedicated to protecting the public by maintaining discipline and overseeing over 32,000 members in the finance sector. As an active member of her community, she holds a seat on multiple boards of directors. Throughout her career, she has received many awards and distinctions, including the title of “Advocatus Emeritus” from the Barreau du Québec and the Femmes d’affaires du Québec award for her outstanding accomplishments as a female executive.
Frédéric Bouchard is a partner at PwC Canada’s Deals practice and managing director of their Corporate Finance group in Montreal. He has been helping public and private companies raise capital and make acquisitions and divestitures for 20 years. Frédéric is the Montreal leader in the forest, paper and packaging sector and the sector’s deals leader for Eastern Canada. He mainly specializes in the building materials, consumer goods and food sectors.
Eric Stevens is a Senior Partner at Norton Rose Fulbright Canada. Mr. Stevens holds a Bachelor in Accounting and Finance, and over the past 20 years, has naturally focused his practice in business law, dealing primarily with issues related to mergers and acquisitions, corporate law and private funding. In 2008, Mr. Stevens was named one of “Canada’s top 40 lawyers under 40” by Lexpert magazine and has since then been awarded several other distinctions. For several years now, Mr. Stevens has been involved in various charitable causes that he deeply believes in.
Véronique Cloutier is, without a doubt, one of Quebec’s most beloved personalities. In fact, most people simply call her “Véro” For the past 20 years, she has earned an enviable place in the public’s heart with her genuine, warm and engaging nature. In addition to being a famous host, she leads a brilliant career on several radio stations. She also has her own fashion line, Véro, sold exclusively at Aubainerie stores. She is head muse at VÉRO, the bestselling women’s magazine in newsstands in Quebec.
Guylaine Guay graduated from the École nationale de l’humour in 1995 and is still making people smile with over 20 years in the television industry. Creativity has been a constant throughout her career. She’s the author of Deux garçons à la mère and C’est bon d’être moi, a radio columnist on the Radio-Canada show Marina, a panelist and the mother of two autistic teens, Léo and Clovis, who inspire her wholehearted dedication to the Véro & Louis Foundation’s mission.
Senior Vice President of Private Banking 1859, Judith Ménard acts as national sales leader, employing a people-first approach while leading a team of managers renowned for their trailblazing work in the wealth management industry. Formerly Chief Compliance Officer for all of National Bank’s business lines, she is known for being a committed leader who creates change and is skilled at building connections and coaching and mobilizing high-performing teams. Highly involved in her community, Ms. Ménard believes in the importance of supporting causes that make a real difference.
Stéphane Rochon has been Chair of the Board and CEO of Groupe KO since 2021. He previously acted as President and Chief Executive Officer of Humania Assurance for a number of years. As a certified corporate director, Stéphane has sat on various boards and committees, like the Chambre de la sécurité financière (CSF), the Institut québécois de la planification financière (IQPF) and SOCODEVI (a cooperative promoting international development), and served as the Université de Laval Industrial Alliance Financial Group Chair in Insurance and Financial Services.
Dr. Beauchamp-Châtel has extensive expertise in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). His projects include a master’s thesis on temper tantrums in preschool-aged autistic children, completed under the supervision of Dr. Laurent Mottron at Hôpital Rivière-des-Prairies. He has been working in the deinstitutionalization of autistic adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) and severe behaviour disorders since 2016. He also provides care to autistic people with and without intellectual disabilities in an outpatient clinic. As his work advocates for improving the services provided to autistic adults, he is proud to contribute to the Véro & Louis Foundation’s visionary project.
Thank you for supporting our cause!