Pear Tree Foundation

Pear Tree Foundation

Samantha Joel’s grandmother Marie Poirier (left) and mother Bernadine Joel (right).

This fund was established in the loving memory of Alexandrine Poirier (1903-1991), Marie Poirier (1944-2005), and Bernadine Joel (1965-2019). Despite being born into lives of hardship, each of these fierce women did everything in their power to create something better for their children.

The Pear Tree Foundation’s mandate is to support local organizations that are helping people lift themselves out of generational poverty, and fight against the many systemic problems that perpetuate it.

The fund has been created and maintained by Samantha Joel and James Marchment. Samantha is the daughter of Bernadine, the granddaughter of Marie, the great-granddaughter of Alexandrine, and the product of their collective sacrifices. “Pear Tree” is an English translation of “Poirier.”