When Beaconsfield resident Nada Nasreddine was first asked to join the board of directors at West Island Community Shares more than twenty years ago, she had no way of knowing the extensive path she would soon embark on.
Now, twenty-two years later, she is stepping down to spend more time in the other hats she has come to wear in this lifetime.
“You know, I’m a pharmacist, I’m a business owner, I’m a mom… I wouldn’t have left if I had more time on my hands, but with COVID, all our lives were hijacked, and it felt right to make this move.”
- Nada Nasreddine, Owner-Pharmacist, Pharmaprix Beaconsfield + Kirkland
Nasreddine was quick to remind West Island News that although she is stepping down from her formal position on the board of directors, she is most certainly not stepping away from the cause.
West Island Community Shares is an umbrella organization that helps other groups within the West Island get funds. Some groups, being very small and grassroots often have limited fundraising opportunities.
West Island Community Shares gives 100% of donations received back to the community it serves. Although the organization has staff, their salaries are paid by corporate sponsors which ensures that 100% of donated funds gets invested back into the parts of the community that needs it most.
Nearly 65,00 West-Islanders will turn to one of the 40 community groups supported by West Island Community Shares for help this year. Of those, 63% are made of children and youth under the age of 25. (SOURCE)
“It was and is a cause I believe in. I live in the West Island, I wanted to support my community and then it opened my eyes that there is a real need for programs like this in the West Island.”
- Nada Nasreddine, Owner-Pharmacist, Pharmaprix Beaconsfield + Kirkland
Although it is easy to presume that the West Island is a bustling hub of wealth and affluence, it does in fact harbor what Nasreddine calls “pockets of poverty” that would fall by the wayside were it not for programs like the one's West Island Community Shares supports.
And it was for precisely this reason that when the late Lucie Fournier approached Nasreddine asking her to join the board due to the extreme lack of estrogen on the committee at the time, she happily obliged. That was in 1999.
“She came to see me at the pharmacy. I still remember that day. And she’s like ‘I want you on my board.’ There’s so much testosterone, I want more women.”
And more women they got. Currently, the Executive Director, Fundraising Events Manager, Donor Relations & Admin Coordinator, and Bookkeeper positions are all held by "powerhouse" women. (SOURCE)
A quick scroll through “The Faces Behind The Recovery” section of their website proudly showcases a team of staff and advocates; the majority of which, are women.
Take a look HERE.
“All the women I’ve seen in my twenty-some years on the board are passionate and inspired. Fundraising is not always easy, especially with COVID, but these women are creative and think outside the box.”
- Nada Nasreddine, Owner-Pharmacist, Pharmaprix Beaconsfield + Kirkland
With an educational background in sociology, I was curious to know if Nada, in her experience as a pharmacist, had encountered times where the worlds of pharmaceuticals and West Island Community Shares collided. Unsurprisingly, they do.
“I’ll give you a concrete example. I had an elderly patient once, who had no family. She had to go to the doctor. There were some communication issues and she needed medication badly. So, I called one of the groups that West Island Community Shares support, which accompanies seniors who need extra help. Right away they sent a volunteer and were able to ensure my patient saw the doctor.”
- Nada Nasreddine, Owner-Pharmacist, Pharmaprix Beaconsfield + Kirkland
Fundamentally patients at the pharmacy are also members of the community, and as such, often the services they need and benefit from overlap. Nasreddine's passion for people does not end with her time on the board of directors. She will undoubtedly continue to serve her community, as she has done since she purchased her first pharmacy in Beaconsfield in 1994.
On behalf of everyone here at West Island News, we would like to congratulate Nada Nasreddine on this incredible accomplishment and to thank her for all she has brought to the West Island community over the last two decades. We wish her success and happiness in her future endeavors.
