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For children and their families

Maison Papillon will be all about offering a warm and safe space for children and their families. A space where their needs come first. A space to feel at home away from home. Every day, activities will be organized to support, stimulate and bring joy to the children and their families. Our service offering will include play therapy, arts, yoga, zootherapy, and massage therapy.

Nestled on a 4-acre lot on the Gatineau River, Maison Papillon will provide a total of 8 bedrooms including 6 individual rooms for children and 2 family suites, as well as a recreation and motricity room, a multi-sensory room, healing rooms, an outside play area, a memorial site, an illuminated trail, and much more.

Children and their families will be the heart of Maison Papillon. All care and services will revolve around their needs, accompanying them individually and collectively on their unique life journey.

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Our services

  • Outstanding multidisciplinary teams
  • Respite care
  • Transition care
  • Support
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How can you help Maison Papillon?

By making a donation, you make a gift of love offering compassionate care and peace of mind to children and families during their stay at Maison Papillon. No matter the size, your donation is greatly appreciated.

MAKE A DONATION

Help us make the vision of Maison Papillon come true. Together, let’s raise funds to support families who rely on our services during a time in their lives when they need us most. You think you can do it? We think so, too!

GET INVOLVED

Motivated by compassion and the sincere desire to make a difference, volunteers are the backbone of our efforts to make the vision of Maison Papillon a reality.

VOLUNTEER

What’s new?

Enfant Soleil gift $ 138 500 to Maison Papillon Enfants et Familles

On March 30, Enfant Soleil announced the projects supported in 2026. With great joy, the Maison Papillon Enfants et Familles team wishes to express its deep gratitude to Enfant Soleil for their generous donation of $138,500. Thanks to this first contribution from the Foundation, we will be able to acquire Umano Medical expandable beds, Stryker pediatric cribs, and further develop our music therapy tools and services in preparation for the opening of Maison Papillon in 2027.

To listen to the 104.7 Outaouais segment: CLIC HERE !

EQUIPMENT

For children in palliative care, a bed becomes much more than simple equipment: it is a place of comfort, safety, and emotional connection. These pieces of equipment will transform their daily experience by providing a more humane, safer environment better suited to their physical and emotional needs. From a psychological standpoint, a bed that “grows with the child” upholds their dignity, prevents the feeling of being “confined” to an inadequate bed, and restores trust in an adaptive environment.

The Ook Snow ALL bed, with its adjustable height and width, allows children to move freely, welcome a loved one by their side, and benefit from optimal comfort while reducing risks associated with movement and transfers. The Stryker crib, on the other hand, offers full visibility and accessibility, allowing younger children to remain in a calm and reassuring environment at all times, without abrupt interruptions to care.

Beyond the dignity restored through physical comfort, these beds also facilitate closeness between the child and their parents or siblings: being able to stay side by side, hold hands, rock, or share a story becomes more natural and reassuring. This strengthens emotional bonds, eases anxiety, and nurtures a sense of serenity in a context already heavy with emotional stress.

MUSIC THERAPY

The music therapy project aims to acquire a range of adapted and traditional musical instruments, combining electronic, analog, and vibroacoustic technologies. These instruments will provide inclusive access to sound creation and immersion, promoting relaxation and emotional regulation, while restoring to children a means of expression often lost due to illness. By interacting with sound through gaze, breath, or gesture, they regain a sense of autonomy and control—fundamental to self-esteem.

Music serves as a powerful non-verbal communication tool, especially important when a child can no longer speak or move. Parents can then reconnect through emotion, resonance, and silence. These sessions become moments of light within an otherwise demanding medical journey: seeing a child smile, create, or direct sound with their gaze becomes a moment of grace. For siblings, these sessions offer shared experiences, reduce feelings of isolation, strengthen family bonds, and create positive memories in a difficult context.

These suspended moments become rituals of presence and tenderness—often the most precious memories within the palliative care journey.

OUR CARE TEAM

Who are the people behind pediatric palliative care? Since Enfant Soleil’s mission is to mobilize the entire Quebec population so that our children have access to the best healthcare across the province—while also supporting the organizations that care for them—we asked our board members, Sophia Florez (pediatric clinical nurse) and Dr. Geneviève Gaëtan (pediatrician), to explain what it means to care for a sick child by answering the following questions:

  • What is the most beautiful gift you receive in your day?
  • If you were an object in a child’s room, what would you be?
  • What is your secret superpower for “softening” difficult moments?
  • If your care bag were a magical one, what unusual item would we find inside?
To discover their answers and what makes their hearts beat: CLIC HERE !

A Spectacular Wave of Solidarity at the 2026 Défi des Chefs

The 2026 edition of the Leucan Défi des Chefs, presented by Steamatic in the Outaouais region, has now come to a close.

Thanks to the incredible mobilization of the community, talented chefs, more than 660 guests, and our valued partners, $300,000 was raised on March 14 in support of Leucan Outaouais and Maison Papillon Enfants et Familles, to help children living with illness and their families

A heartfelt thank you to our participating chefs who showcased their talent for this important cause, and to our guests who made the evening so memorable. We also extend our gratitude to honorary co-chairs Lise Sarazin and Nancy Raymond, as well as the event ambassadors: Athéna Larin-Larouche, Benoit Charron, Brigitte Beaudoin, Marc-André Danis, Stéphanie Gauvin, and Steve Cabot.

Maison Papillon Enfants et Familles and Leucan would also like to highlight the commitment of our partners, without whom this evening would not have been such a success :

  • Hilton Lac-Leamy
  • Elected Officials Champlain, Hull, Gatineau et Papineau at the National Assembly
  • Énergie Brookfield
  • Centre Arthur-Tétrault
  • Enbridge Gaz Québec
  • Groupe Nordik
  • Gatineau Acura
  • Media Partners : Cogeco Media, RNC Media, Bell Media, LeDroit and Unique FM

THANK YOU ALL — SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!

To read the Le Droit article from March 15, 2026 : Clic here !

Our culinary brigades

The Care Team : The Beating Heart of Maison Papillon

Behind the excellence of our services stands an extraordinary care team. Far more than experts in complex care, our professionals are companions along the journey for children and their families. Whether offering a moment of respite, supporting a delicate transition, or providing end-of-life care, their role is to protect dignity and nurture hope. Through listening and compassion, they create a calming oasis where each family can simply be together, in peace.

Adding Life to Days: The Commitment of Maison Papillon

At Maison Papillon Enfants et Familles, we believe that even in fragility, every moment deserves to be lived with depth and gentleness. Our mission is simple, yet essential: to soften the experience of pediatric palliative care, making it a deeply human journey, surrounded by warmth and light. Here, we do not take care away—we add life to it, transforming every clinical act into a moment of shared kindness.

Because at Maison Papillon, we don’t just treat symptoms—we care for the child and the family, one butterfly beat at a time.

SOPHIA FLOREZ
Board Member, Maison Papillon
Clinical Nurse Specialist in Palliative and End-of-Life Care, and Pediatric Unit Manager, Le Copain Clinic and 0–17 Outpatient Clinic, CISSSO

Dre GENEVIÈVE GAËTAN
Vice-President, Maison Papillon
Pediatrician specialized in palliative and end-of-life care

What is the most meaningful gift you receive in your day?

Sophia: It’s not a formal “thank you”—it’s a sigh of relief. When I see a parent’s shoulders relax, or a child fall peacefully asleep because their pain has finally eased. These moments of peace give full meaning to my vocation.

Geneviève: The smiles and “thank yous” from parents are always appreciated, but the most meaningful gift is when it comes from the child: a thank you, a big smile, a hug, a high five, or a drawing they made during the visit—it warms the heart so deeply. Knowing that a child trusts us to care for their health is incredibly precious. The cherry on top is when I schedule a follow-up visit and the child says, “I’d like to see you again tomorrow!”

If you were an object in a child’s room, what would you be?

Sophia: I would be a night light. I’m there to cast a soft, reassuring glow when the darkness feels overwhelming, but I’m also mobile—I move at the child’s pace. I stay by their bedside to ensure their technical comfort, while remaining discreet enough to preserve the family’s intimacy. I am that point of light that says, without words: “Sleep peacefully, I’m watching over everything.”

Geneviève: A very colorful stuffed toy that plays music! I would want to be the toy you grab when you want to dance, sing, or play, while also offering gentle comfort. I’d have all the colors of the rainbow to reflect every emotion a child may feel; soft songs and lively tunes depending on the moment; and the ability to change my facial expression to make them laugh or feel reassured. Don’t worry—“Baby Shark” would not be part of my repertoire!

What is your secret superpower for softening difficult moments?

Sophia: My superpower is the “invisible gown.” I have medical knowledge, but I choose to sit at the bedside and talk about life—not just the diagnosis. My secret is to normalize the extraordinary: to laugh with a child between treatments and turn a technical procedure into a moment of tenderness. I simplify the moment by showing that behind the nurse is a human being—someone who understands, listens, and dares to share emotions with them.

Geneviève: I try to bring a touch of humor, when the situation allows. It always feels good to laugh, even when everything around us is heavy. I also believe in the healing and unifying power of music—and I sing fairly well—so I would use the superpower of music: listening to or singing a song the child loves.

If your care bag were magical, what unusual things would we find inside?

Sophia: You’d of course find my stethoscope—but above all, an endless supply of candy (my universal remedy!), a notebook filled with sketched ideas, and an invisible wand to transform difficult moments into gentle melodies. There would also be a huge dose of commitment: the kind of bag where, no matter the urgency, you always find a creative solution, a fresh idea, or a smile to calm the storm.

Geneviève: A magical ice cream machine with extraordinary flavors! Ice cream that tastes like the beach, like mom’s kisses, like the warmth of a cozy bed—not to mention unicorn-flavored ice cream! I could combine one of children’s favorite treats with a soft, comforting memory. With the option to add sprinkles and confetti!

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