Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Lalibert\u00e9\u2019s One Drop Foundation is laying off its employees and winding down operations, The Gazette has learned.<\/p>\n
The non-profit organization was founded in 2007 by the Quebec billionaire. The decision, which was first reported by the Journal de Montr\u00e9al\u00a0on Friday afternoon, comes nearly two decades after One Drop was created.<\/p>\n
Anne Dongois, a spokesperson for Lalibert\u00e9, confirmed the foundation \u201cissued a collective redundancy notice last week and is moving towards a non-operational mode by the end of the year.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reached by phone, Dongois said the decision comes after \u201cmonths of reflection,\u201d citing uncertainty because of the \u201ccurrent economic situation\u201d and the complexity of continuing the foundation\u2019s operations.<\/p>\n
The layoffs will affect a little more than 25 employees in total, she added.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe foundation will continue to exist, but the model will completely change,\u201d Dongois said. \u201cSo it will be a non-operational foundation, so there won\u2019t be any employees dedicated to the foundation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lalibert\u00e9, who also is a member of the board of directors for One Drop, issued a letter to the foundation\u2019s partners earlier this week, informing them of the decision.<\/p>\n
He thanked them for their efforts to help improve access to safe water and saying \u201cthis decision was not made lightly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\tEditor\u2019s Picks\t<\/p>\n
The full letter from Lalibert\u00e9 can be read below:<\/p>\n
A message from Guy Lalibert\u00e9, Founder of the One Drop Foundation<\/p>\n
Dear friends, collaborators, partners and supporters,<\/p>\n
For nearly two decades, One Drop has been driven by a simple but powerful belief: access to safe water is not only essential; it is transformative.<\/p>\n
Since its creation, the Foundation has worked alongside communities, partners, and changemakers around the world to improve access to water, sanitation and hygiene through innovative, sustainable and human-centered approaches. Together, we have reached and improved the lives of more than 3 million people.<\/p>\n
This impact would not have been possible without you.<\/p>\n
Today, I am writing to share an important evolution in our journey.<\/p>\n
After careful reflection, the Board of Directors has made the decision to transition the One Drop Foundation to a non-operational model over the coming months. As part of this transition, the Foundation\u2019s activities will gradually wind down led by a core team that will make sure we support our partners in the field, and that we meet all our commitments and responsibilities.<\/p>\n
This decision was not made lightly. While this may mark the end of a chapter, it also offers an opportunity to reflect on what we have built together.<\/p>\n
One Drop has always been about pushing boundaries, rethinking how social change can happen by placing people, creativity and dignity at the center. While the operational structure of the Foundation is changing, the values that have shaped our work \u2013 and the impact we have created together \u2013 will endure.<\/p>\n
What we created was never only about programs. It was about the belief that when people come together with purpose, extraordinary change is possible \u2013 proving that art can be a catalyst for change, that water can be a pathway to equity, and that collective action can reshape futures and empower communities.<\/p>\n
To every donor, partner, ambassador, employee, collaborator, supplier and community member who walked alongside us: thank you.<\/p>\n
Thank you for your trust. Thank you for your courage. Thank you for believing that bold ideas can create lasting change.<\/p>\n
The impact we have made together will continue to ripple far beyond this transition.<\/p>\n
And while this chapter is closing, the values that shape One Drop \u2013 creativity, humanity and the conviction that every person deserves access to safe water \u2013 will continue to guide what comes next.<\/p>\n
With deep gratitude,<\/p>\n
Guy Lalibert\u00e9
Founder, One Drop Foundation\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Lalibert\u00e9\u2019s One Drop Foundation is laying off its employees and winding down operations,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":779833,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[49,48,295,66],"class_list":["post-779832","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-environment","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/779832","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=779832"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/779832\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/779833"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=779832"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=779832"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=779832"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}