In 2020, Leslie Raenden made her first donation to Porte Parole. A finance professional, she was born and raised in Montreal, a city that nurtured her interest in the arts. She now splits her time between Quebec and the Yukon, where she discovered a small but diverse community in which she feels at home.
When did you first hear about Porte Parole?
I met Annabel Soutar in a group meeting, something like a book club, about twenty years ago. I was fascinated when she explained what she was doing. Documentary theatre—it takes a few seconds to process the two words together, and to start to comprehend how unique and interesting and intellectual it all feels. I was a big theatre fan, but I had never seen a documentary play at the time.
Annabel is very convincing when she introduces her work, and when you actually get to experience it, her descriptions so clearly reconcile with the quality of the productions: both strikingly match.
What motivated you to give to Porte Parole?
I was only recently introduced to the “giving community,” and specifically to arts donors.
My stepfather, Peter Thomson, was a wealthy businessman who always supported artists. When he passed, he donated half of his money, and part of it expressly to emerging artists.
My stepfather also wanted us, his kids, to structure the way his money was given. So, for my part, with Concordia University’s Faculty of Fine Arts, I set up a donation that combined traditional scholarships with an innovation fund that finances the gap between coming out of Fine Arts school and starting out as an artist.
On a personal level, I was already donating to some causes, but not to artists, which is strange since I have always had an interest in the arts. So last year, with the pandemic, I wanted to do more… Something that felt almost intimate, like giving to a friend. At one point, through conversations about The Assembly and Porte Parole with a colleague, I realized that here was exactly what I was looking for. I have a huge soft spot for Montreal, for the arts, and a strong feeling that now is probably the worst time for the performing arts.
It just felt so obvious, and when something clicks in my mind, I act!
Giving is all about the trust you have in the organization you are supporting, and I have a long-term trust in Porte Parole.
What are the main reasons to donate?
When you’re making the decision to give, obviously it makes you feel good, which is a big part of it. But I want to donate to an organization that I will feel good to be associated with. It’s not that I want the association with my name, it just means that I’m backing something of quality, of purpose, of significance.
It’s one of my motivations to give; to have a sense of feeling aligned.
The way I consider it is by asking myself: Will I feel bad if it’s not there tomorrow? If my answer is “yes,” then I choose to support it. I have to put my money where my mouth is. If Porte Parole wasn’t in Montreal or didn’t exist, wouldn’t that be awful? I think it should be something that we all factor in, regardless of our profession or wealth. What we give and how we give is part of what we are and what we do.
