#20: (Saint) Dominique Lemay
βThe closest encounter with a Saint in my life | La rencontre la plus proche avec un saint dans ma vieβ Pierre Tarik ELIAS Ω πΊπ³ π«π· πͺπ¬ π¦πΊ
(Latest updates are on his Wikipedia page which I created in 2016 link)
Born July 17, 1950 (age 67)
Wasquehal, France
Occupation Social worker
Language French, English, Filipino
Nationality French, Filipino
Alma mater Catholic University
Website
http://virlaniekuyadom.blogspot.com
Dominique Lemay (born July 17, 1950) is a French humanitarian known for founding the Virlanie Foundation, which helps street children in the Philippines.
Contents
β’ 1 Biography
β’ 2 Awards
β’ 3 References
β’ 4 External links
Lemay was born in Wasquehal, France on July 17, 1950. He holds a degree in theology from Catholic University. He left for Manila after his studies to work for children on the street.[1][full citation needed]
Lemay arrived in the Philippines in 1989 at the request of a friend to do some research on street children of Philippines.[2][3]
In 1992, with the help of his Filipino friends and social workers, Lemay started the Virlanie Foundation to help the needy children of Philippines.[4]
[5] The organization works to take care of children who are poor, abandoned, orphaned, neglected and abused and provide them with a suitable environment to live in.[6][7] The foundation also strives to make sure that there is a strong presence that can fight for the rights of children.[8] Virlanie also supports the operation of the Manila Youth Reception Center along with the Reception Action Center.[9] In addition, the foundation operates two homes for children with special needs, Cavite and in Makati City.[10]
Lemay is the author of the book, "Ils N'ont Pas Choisi les Troittoirs de Manille" ("The Didn't Choose the Sidewalks of Manila").[11]
Awards
Virlanie Foundationβs Dominique Lemay Named Chevalier in the Legion of Honor
In 2014 Lemay was honored with Chevalier (Knight) in the French LΓ©gion dβhonneur for his work in the Philipines.[12] Additional awards include:
β’ Inducted into the Knights of Rizal[13]
β’ People of Asia magazine selected him as one of its People of the Year in 2008.[14]
β’ He was awarded the Human Rights Prize from the French Republic for the Foundation's valuable contribution to human rights through its work with disadvantaged children in the Philippines in 2001.[8]
- LeBron James visited the foundation in 2016
