CORNWALL, Ontario – Andre Cayer has been a Shriner for more than two decades. That time has seen him put in a lot of work for the Shriners and for the children’s hospital they support in Montreal.
Now, Cayer finds himself leading the effort to promote the Shriners and raise funds for the Shriners Hospital for Children in Montreal.
On Saturday, Jan. 12, Cayer was installed as the Potentate for the Shriner’s Karnak region, which covers Cornwall, SD&G and all of Quebec.
As Potentate, Cayer is in charge of installing the Executives of the clubs in his region, running advertising and billboards promoting the hospital, and reporting to the Shriners’ headquarters in Tampa Bay, FL.
Before becoming Potentate, Cayer had spent 23 years as a Shriner and 26 years as a Mason. As a Shriner he has been a photographer and even a Shriner clown, a job he said he particularly enjoyed.
Cayer says that he is proud as a Shriner to come from an area that so strongly supports the cause of helping sick kids.
“The Cornwall area is one of the largest fundraisers for the hospital,” he said. “This area has always been one of the strongest of all the clubs that Montreal has.”
SD&G has raised roughly $15,000 through their bingo nights and through their Love Boat fundraiser in 2018. That money was used to support their transportation fund.
Members of the SD&G Shriners will drive local patients to their appointments at the hospital. While they are not making many trips right now, Cayer says that there are three families in the region who have children that are patients at the hospital.
There are around 80 Shriners in the SD&G Shriners Club.
Cayer is one of only three other men from Cornwall and SD&G who have been made Potentate for their region, one of the others is Rory McLennan, the current President of the Cornwall Chamber of Commerce.
Cayer, who is a former Big Brother and scout leader says that he enjoys being a part of an organization that supports children.
“The think that I remember the most, is my first time out as a clown, someone had asked me to fill in for them,” he said. “A little boy came up to me and opened up about his father passing away and his mom said, “you’re the first person he’s opened up to,” and I thought, oh my god, I’ve made a difference in this boy’s life.”
Cayer says that the Shriners Hospital for Children give kids a welcoming world during the most difficult time.
“You go in and see the difference you make to all of these children,” he said. “They don’t have a world, but when you go in, the hospital and staff give them a world.”
Cornwall will be hosting an important Shriners meeting over three days in May where, among other business, the Shriners will be inducting new members.
