By Joel Goldenberg
The Suburban
One of Montreal’s most beloved people, Sun Youth Organzation co-founder Sid Stevens, passed away Sunday at the age of 85, the organization announced.
Mayor Valérie Plante posted Monday afternoon, “It is with great sadness that I learn of the passing of one of the founders of Sun Youth. A member of the Order of Montreal, he built an organization dedicated to serving the people of Montreal. My thoughts are with his friends and family.”
D’Arcy McGee MNA Elisabeth Prass described Stevens as a “lifelong champion of inner-city youth and low-income families. Sid transformed a grassroots sports and recreation initiative into an organization that now supports tens of thousands of Montrealers—through food banks, camps, emergency aid, and more. His legacy of compassion, leadership, and community impact lives on across the city.”
Federation CJA said Stevens “embodied the values of compassion, dignity, and inclusivity. His work through Sun Youth provided critical support to vulnerable populations across the city, including members of the Jewish community. His legacy is one of unwavering commitment to helping others, regardless of background or circumstance.
“Federation CJA is proud to have supported Sun Youth’s kosher food program for more than a decade, which helped provide food baskets to Jewish community members in need.”
The organization, in its obituary, pointed out that Stevens “devoted his life to helping Montrealers,” and that at the time of his passing, he was “surrounded by loved ones, leaving behind a rich legacy of generosity, solidarity and community engagement. With great sadness, but also pride, Sun Youth honours the rich life of one of its co-founders, Mr. Sid Stevens. Countless Montrealers past and present are grateful to him for his dedication.
Stevens was born in 1940 in the fabled Jewish area of what is now known as Plateau Mont-Royal. The obituary points out that at the age of 13, “Sid and his friend Earl De La Perralle started Sun Youth by organizing sports and leisure activities for local children. Now, the organization supports around 30,000 Montreal residents annually with food, clothing, financial aid, emergency services, and youth programs.
“Sun Youth originated from the Clark Street Sun, a neighbourhood newspaper sold for two cents. The funds were used to buy sports equipment and organize activities. Today, the organization’s budget has grown from $500 in the mid-1950s to over $8 million.”
Stevens also stepped into the world of Montreal municipal politics, being elected a city councillor in 1978 and hailed for his “down-to-earth approach to community issues. He won the trust and appreciation of his fellow councillors and the public for his dedication to crime prevention and other community initiatives.” As well, he was “instrumental in introducing Crime Stoppers to the city, and was appointed coordinator of the ‘Operation Tandem’, a crime prevention initiative.”
Upon his return to Sun Youth, he established Quebec’s first food bank in 1981 and brought about other innovations to help the local community, including a home delivery service for people with reduced mobility.
Stevens was honoured numerous times throughout his life, by the Knights of Pythias in 1968, the Rotary Club, the Chairperson of Dawson College’s Governing Council, the Citation of Citizenship from Ministry of State for Multiculturalism and Citizenship, and accolades from the Association des Médecins Psychiatres du Québec, the Montreal Citizenship Council naming Stevens an Outstanding Citizen, to honour unselfish service to the community, and an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from McGill University.
Other honours included the Sheila and Victor Goldbloom award, the Commander of the Ordre de Montréal and, in 2022, the Ordre national du Québec, the highest distinction bestowed by the Government of Quebec. n