 Debra Hensley, head of The Royettes fan-club
|
Dernière Heure Americans, Swedes, Japanese ... they pay out millions of dollars for Roy Dupuis Women from all over the world boost the coffers of Quebec charities. They have donated more than $500,000 to the Rivers Foundation and around the same amount to MIRA, two foundations supported by Roy Dupuis. Hundreds of them have travelled here to meet the only one of our actors whose sex-appeal doubles as a tourist attraction. The Royettes’ million dollars of donations to Mira and the Rivers Foundation are only the tip of the iceberg. Most of the donations made by these women don’t go through a fan-club and are therefore impossible to calculate. Could it be two million? Even more? The Royettes have paid half the fees of a young penniless student at the National Theatre School of Canada. They have also ‘adopted’ a blue whale for eight years, by financing a study centre for Cetaceans based on Mingan Island. Their donations have also been used to restock the shelves of the library of the National Monument, where the Ludger-Duvernay theatre bears a plaque in honour of Roy Dupuis, a gift from the Royettes. “Roy Dupuis doesn’t want his fans to send him birthday presents and asks instead that contributions are directed at causes close to his heart,” says the head of the Royettes fan-club, Debra Hensley, a Texan who lives in Houston. “That explains our generosity. On the La Femme Nikita website, in the Roy Dupuis section, the fans learn[ed] that this [was] Foundation MIRA.” The international group of Royettes, established in 1996, is divided into different independent fan-clubs. Only one of them is called ‘The Royettes’. Another big American fan-club has the name ‘Amis par Roy’. “Roy also has a big Japanese fan-club. I couldn’t tell you how much money these Japanese fans have given to the Rivers Foundation, as some donations are given anonymously, and we don’t know who they are,” explains Maxine Cunnyngham of Oklahoma City, who is the founder of Amis par Roy. “For six years the members of Amis par Roy have given a little over $80,000 per year to the Rivers Foundation, of which Roy Dupuis is one of the founders and principal spokesman,” says Maxine Cunnyngham. “Roy is always present at the Foundation’s fund-raising events, so fans like myself gather together to meet with him.” Royettes come from Japan, Australia, England and various South American countries. “Having made the trip, we often spend a fortnight in Quebec. We eat in your restaurants, sleep in your hotels, rent your cars ....” Last June Royettes visited Gaspésie and the North Coast, for an expedition on the Moisie River. The Rivers Foundation confirms Debra Hensley’s statement. “Roy Dupuis’ fans have indeed raised about $500,000 in six years, as well as giving us computers and office furniture,” says Anne-Marie Saint-Cerny, managing director of the organisation. “These ladies have enabled the Foundation to be born and to survive. Thanks to them, an environmental protection organisation is bringing to Quebec the critical, scientific and economic enlightenment necessary to measure the harmful consequences of industrial projects on our rivers.” “We’re like a big family,” explains Ms Hensley. “We recognise each other when we see each other on trips to Montreal, Granby or Saint-Hyacinthe for fund-raising for MIRA or the Rivers Foundation. Furthermore, if a Royette is suffering from cancer or any other serious illness, Roy Dupuis is kind enough to comfort her. Equally, when Roy loses someone close, we write words of comfort to him.” Before the Rivers Foundation was set up, Roy Dupuis lent his fame to MIRA, now a well-known and well-established organisation. “Some Royettes have adopted this cause and continue to contribute to it, even though Roy is now busy with the Rivers Foundation,” says Ms Hensley. “I met hundreds of Royettes from the United States, Sweden and Japan at Défi-Vision at Granby, a motor race where blind drivers are guided by sighted co-pilots,” says Simon Melrose, MIRA’s public relations officer. These volunteers are very useful. Between 2001 and 2006 they gave us more than half a million dollars. That’s enough money to train 25 guide dogs.” Maxine Cunnyngham's response to inaccuracies in this article |
