Our association participated in the 11th edition of the Quebec Founding Families Fair, which was held at Carrefour St-Georges in St-Georges-de-Beauce. QC. Thanks for coming to meet our team of volunteers who manned our booth during the Mall's full business hours to answer questions, promote our association and share informations with visitors about our great and beautiful family.
The idea of a trip to France was among the early objectives of the Association of the Descendants of Nicolas Audet dit Lapointe, but it was only during the annual reunion of 8-9 September, 2007, in Lac-Etchemin, that we began promoting it. The following 'Nicolas and Magdeleine' newsletters then continued to cover it and invited interested parties to submit their name. At the end of July 2008, the advertising leaflet from the 'Groupe Voyages Québec' travel agency, giving details, prices and conditions of the trip was ready and was sent to the hundred or so people who previously gave their name, first to members of the ADNAL and then to all others, inviting them to register officially. At the end of September 2008, all 45 seats were already reserved. As planned, the trip departed from the Trudeau Airport in Montreal on May 8, 2009, and returned the following May 21st.
This trip, which represented the major activity of the year for the ADNAL, replaced the 2009 annual gatherings of members that had been held since 2003. Almost all of the directors and several members of the ADNAL, totalling 45 persons, have taken part. During 14 days, all parts of the trip on French soil were made in the company of a highly accomplished French guide, bringing participants to visit, among other, Chartres, the Perche region (Tourouvre, Mortagne), Lower Normandy (D-day beaches), Brittany (Mont-St-Michel and St Malo), the Aunis region (La Rochelle), Poitou (Maulais, Maranzais, and Angles), the castles of the Loire and Paris. However, the highlight of the trip was our visit of Maulais on May 16, the place of origin of our french ancestor Nicolas Audet dit Lapointe, who came to New France in 1663. Enchanted by his stay in Quebec and his meeting with our members in the Lac-Beauport area in the fall of 2008, the Mayor of Maulais welcomed our delegation of descendants of the ancestor Nicolas with open arms and we were exceptionally well received.
It is hoped that this trip will enhance the ties between the North American descendants of the ancestor Nicolas Audet dit Lapointe and his place of origin in France. We find echoes of this trip in one of the 'Nicolas and Magdeleine' newsletters ... and in the the 'News' section of our website.
Guy St-Hilaire
For the sixth consecutive year, ADNAL participated in the Founding Families Fair, held from March 6 to 8 at the Laurier Shopping Centre in Quebec City. Our presence at the show was a success; 7 new members joined the association and we sold several dictionaries and various promotional items. But the greatest satisfaction is being able to meet and talk with many visitors, including many members who take advantage of this opportunity to come and greet us. A very sincere thank you to the volunteers who agreed to participate in this activity, because without them, the task would be much too heavy.
Our 6th Annual Gathering will surely be part of our fondest memories, given fall setting worthy of the finest paintings, the excellent work of the Organizing Committee in warmly welcoming all cousins and the enthusiasm of some 200 participants.
On the sunny sunday of September 23rd 2007 the first commemorative plaque to pay hommage to our ancestors Nicolas Audet dit Lapointe and his wife Magdeleine Després was unveiled.
The "Parc des Ancêtres" is located near the Ste-Famille Parish Church and is under the responsibility of the "Fondation François-Lamy". The park pays hommage to ancestors of of families which originaly established themselves on the île d'Orléans island.
I would like to thank the organizing committee for welcoming us in Chaudière-Appalaches on the shores of beautiful Lac-Etchemin.
And to all of you dear participants, for your participation in our 5th Reunion, your presence is proof of your sense of belonging toward your origins and your ancestors ... as well as all your cousins. For the organizers, it truly warms the heart!
In order to pursue our recruiting efforts and to continue to make ourselves known, we participated in the Founding Families' Fair at Place Laurier in Ste-Foy in February 2007. This was our 4th presence; we met several new people there, answered many questions and distributed about 200 flyers. The experience is always rewarding, which is why we plan to participate in February 2008.
An outstanding family reunion was held in Sherbrooke, lots of people... and an excellent organization.
The Association des Descendants de Nicolas Audet dit Lapointe inc. now has its own domain name : www.audetditlapointe.ca
"We just celebrated our first anniversary on April 23, without fanfare, but our organization is growing. New members have kept joining our ranks throughout the winter and we already exceed the two hundred members mark - a magic number to ensure the survival of an association. But it does mean that the members of the Board had to give their 110% to put in place the structure and welcome all these new members. A big success, considering that other associations reach a ceiling with that number."
The Association of the Descendants de Nicolas Audet dit Lapointe inc. establishes its presence in English on the Internet.