Participant
YWCA Residence program
Ethel Meilleur
Woman of Distinction 2020
Coup de coeur Award by YWCA Montreal
Presented by
Would you like to participate to the online award ceremony on March 18, 2021?
Resilient and courageous, Ethel Meilleur was born in 1950 in Truro, Nova Scotia. She moved to Montreal in her teens where she now lives. Over the years she worked in factories, sales, domestic and customer services.
Later in life, Meilleur, a proud mother of 2 children, 7 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren, returned to complete high school. She then continued on as a mature student in creative writing at Concordia University.
Her work in the Timeless Voices anthology by The International Library of Poets earned Meilleur their nomination as Poet of the Year in 2006. Since then, her poetry has also appeared in several other publications such as Kola, the Blasted Tree and Concordia Write Nights.
In 2012, on a journey to nurture herself and her creative energies, Ethel was referred to the YWCA Montreal’s Residence. There she found a place to reset her life, an environment where she felt safe, free and cared for. Ethel learned to set boundaries, build her self-confidence, stand up for herself and strengthen her independence.
When it comes to her stay at the YWCA Montreal, Ethel Meilleur doesn’t miss an opportunity to express her gratitude for the incredible support she received from the Housing services team of counsellors; for the fun times and the solidarity she found among other women; as well as the life skills she learned going forward.
Moving on, in the spring of 2013 Ethel Meilleur fulfilled another deserving dream, having a place to call her own, a place that fuels her creativity and fosters her full potential. Ethel Meilleur pursued her volunteer engagements at the Y des femmes and its Foundation, her studies and her creative writing. In 2019, her first collection of poems was published! Fittingly, she launched Funny Girl at the YWCA Montreal where she proudly read to an admiring crowd!
Today, Ethel Meilleur enjoys meditation, arts and crafts, singing and dancing, writing workshops, yoga, self-care classes, helping her fellow neighbours and more!
She continues to deliver clever verses and imagery, entertaining many audiences with her wit. Her life motto’s are uplifting and a reminder of what’s important; “kindness comes back 100x; never give up, nothing is so bad it can’t get better; there’s so much to be grateful for; when someone’s down pull them up and when you learn something new, pass it on!”
This “Funny Girl” from Truro Nova Scotia radiates optimism and confidence and has everything she needs. She feels high on life and so very blessed!
