Skip to content

Historique de l'association

The life of an association is not always easy. However, after thirty-six years, we are still active and determined to respond to the needs of our members and to evolve along with them. Several decisive moments have marked our evolution, always supported by numerous volunteers motivated to help our members, to inform them and to support them.

We present the history and logo of Polio Quebec, inspired by the book A True Story of Polio in Quebecwritten by Sally Aitken, Pierrette Caron and Gilles Fournier.

To learn more about the history and logo of the Polio Quebec Association, from its foundation to today, please click on this link:

Here is the list of people who have chaired Polio Quebec since 1985:

Sieglinde Stieda 
Founder (1985 – 1986)

 Yolande Rouleau (1986 - 1988)

Mona Arsenault (1988 - 1993)

Sally Aitken 

(1993 - 1997)

Pauline Karolewicz Sweer (1997 - 1999)

Reverend William (Bill) Phillips (1999 - 2000)

Father Yves Gaudreault (2000 - 2002)

Mario Di Carlo (2002 - 2006)

Gilles Besner (2006 - 2012)

Daniel Montmarquette (2013 - 2018)

Stewart Valin         (2018 - 2019)

Roland Larivière  (2019 – 2021)

Mona Arsenault   (2021 – )

People who have served on the Board

First, here is the list, in alphabetical order, of the people who have volunteered on the board of directors of the Polio Quebec Association since 1985. We can see how much the community has been involved in the association. Therefore, we would like to say: thank you to all of you!

Ackad, Samir
Aitken, Sally
Allison, Gordon
Anger, Beth
Anger, Marcel
Arsenault, Mona
Baldé, Lamine
Beaudin, Jacqueline
Bergeron, Normand
Besner, Gilles
Blain, Dr Gilbert
Bombardier, Michel
Bourget, Céline
Campos, Robert
Caron, Pierrette
Colangelo, Sylvie
Cossette, Gérard
Cruess, Dr Richard
D'Amico, Anne
De Gagné, Jacques
Di Carlo, Mario
D'orazio, Helen
Duguay, Marcel
Dumais, Raymond
Elliot, David
Fothergill, Jack
Fournier, Gilles
Fowles, Dr John

Francoeur, Carmen
Gagliardi, Nicole
Gaudette, Jean-François
Gaudreault, Father Yves
Giannuzzi, Gregory
Groot, Richard
Guttman, Dr. Herta
Hanrahan, Margaret
Hayeur, Louise
Héroux, Lise
Houle, Diane
Jerrett, Joyce
Katta, Amitha
Lalande, Bernard
Lamarche, Ginette
Lambert, Andrée
Lamrane, Khadija
Larivière, Roland
Mallen, Chantal
Massicotte, Sylvie
McDonald, John
McGuinness, Audrey
Mercier, Claire
Mercier, Claude
Montmarquette, Daniel
Ouellet, Lise
Phillips, Rev. William
Pignatelli, Francesco

Poulin, Marie-Claude
Quintal, Ginette
Robinson, Ann
Rouleau, Yolande
Rousse, François
Silverman, Syd
Stieda, Sieglinde
Stenson, Bruno Paul
St-Onge, Gérald
Strobel, Geneviève
Karolewicz Sweer, Pauline
Taing, Sok-kheng
Valin, Stewart
Van Daele, Anne-Marie
Van Daele, Paul
Venturini, Adriana
Wasson, Françoise
Wasson, Robert
Westcott, Alice

Hommages

Tribute to Pauline Karolewicz

I am really proud to know you and to have worked with you for the Polio Quebec Association. You are a person of integrity and dedication, who has given her heart and soul to keep the association viable and healthy.

Always supportive at our monthly meetings, your contribution as treasurer, your comments always respectful to all are very much appreciated.

You supported Sally Atkins, Mona Arsenault, Dr. Cashman, Father Gaudreault, Mario DiCarlo, Gilles Besner, Daniel Montmarquette, Chantal Mallen, our Director Amitha Katta, and all the members and former members of the Board.

Pauline, we will miss you. You wanted to leave us six months ago and you stayed until we found you a replacement.

Living with the aftermath of polio brings its own set of pains and discomforts that often increase with age. I understand that you want to take a break and that you are tired.

Even though you are leaving us, you are still a very busy person with your family, your grandchildren, your condo and so on.

I wish you to continue to live your life to the fullest and to see you at our meetings

Roland Larivière

President PolioQuébec Association

Pauline Karolewicz

From left to right: Roland Larivière, Chantal Mallen, Pauline Karolewicz, Nicole Gagliardi, Mona Arsenault.

Meaning
of the logo

In 1992, Polio Quebec adopted its current logo: a bright sun, with a grey ray among the bright rays, reminding us that we are a group willing to illuminate the world of polio by shining outward, always aware of the possible dangers of the side effects of this disease (grey ray).

The reason why the number "25" is inside the sun is to highlight the 25 years of existence of the Association, and was used between 2010 and 2013.

For those who remember

Before the creation of the current logo, another logo was used by Polio Quebec in its early days. Indeed, it was a stylized neuron, drawn by Sieglinde Stieda, founder of the Association, and her friend. This logo (below) was used in the first newsletters of the Folio Polio.

LogoAPQ-ancien