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Meet Irene and Leslie Dubé,
successful entrepreneurs who believe that philanthropy lightens
the burden of being human.
“Philanthropy feeds the soul,”
says Mr. Dubé, who founded
the Concorde Group of Companies
over 35 years ago with his
wife, Irene. “Sharing our blessings
with others brings us great peace. Believe me - it is
so much better to give than to receive.”
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| Leslie & Irene Dubé: "We're doing all these things for the least of our brethren" |
The Dubés recently gave $3 million to the Future in Mind,
a campaign for the new mental health centre at Royal
University Hospital. The
gift represents the largest
single gift ever made to a
Saskatchewan hospital.
In honour of the historic
contribution, the new
building will be named The
Irene and Leslie Dubé
Centre for Mental Health.
The recognition neither
motivates nor inspires the
Dubés. In fact, anonymous
giving is their preference
but no longer their
practice. “We’ve learned
that it doesn’t help to remain
quiet because giving
breeds giving,” says Mr.
Dubé. “Others hear about
our gift and want to help.”
Mrs. Dubé agrees. “The
size of the gift doesn’t
matter; $10 a month can
make a difference because it all adds up.”
The Dubés have an affinity for the plight of the mentally
ill. A visit to an institution in British Columbia years ago
where a relative works as a psychiatric nurse, made a
deep impression on the couple. “It was an eye opening
experience,” says Mrs. Dubé. “I realized that the mentally
ill are the forgotten and often overlooked in our society.”
Mrs. Dubé also has a personal history of depression, a condition she has coped with since she was very young. “My depression was untreated until about 30 years ago,”she says. Her compassion and
experience led to a business
decision that makes counselling
available to Concorde
Group employees.
“If someone on our staff has a
problem we point them in the
right direction for help,” explains
Mrs. Dubé.
The Dubés support over 40 Canadian charities with annual
gifts that range from hundreds of dollars to millions.
Their generosity has been felt in Saskatoon over the
years with leadership gifts to both St. Paul’s Hospital and
Saskatoon City Hospital Foundations, St. Thomas Moore
College and to many other organizations.
“We are blessed,” says Mr. Dubé. “Irene and I believe
that we were put on this Earth for a reason.
God gave us the talent and skills to acquire wealth
and there’s a reason why He did it.”
Why? To help others. And in so doing, the Dubés
have Discovered another kind of wealth.
“We’re doing all these things for the least of our
brethren,” says Mr. Dubé, paraphrasing the Bible.
The Dubé story is a classic tale of humble beginnings,
hard work and an abiding faith. Originally from
Wynyard, Saskatchewan, both Leslie and Irene
come from large families. They were high school
sweethearts who married when Irene was 17 and
Leslie was 21.
“I knew the moment I saw him that I’d marry him,”
laughs Irene. “It was love at first sight.”
Together they built the Concorde Group, a company
with a payroll in excess of six million dollars annually.
The business has diversified interests across western
Canada – shopping centres, warehouses, strip malls,
office buildings, as well as being a major supplier fresh
fruit and vegetables to major grocery chains throughout
western Canada.
As the company grew, so too did their family. The Dubés
have three adult children - Debi, Dawna, David - three
grandchildren and seven great grandchildren. Son David
is now the company’s president and CEO.
Helping others – both indirectly and directly is the constant
in this couple’s life journey.
To access Mental Health Services in the Saskatoon Health Region, visit the SHR website and scroll down the page for a directory of services offered. |
