Fifteen Climbers Reach the Summit of Kilimandjaro and Raise $140,000 for Social Pediatrics as Part of ACCEO Solutions' Fundraising Campaign

MONTRÉAL, QUÉBEC--(Marketwire - Jan. 24, 2013) - ACCEO Solutions Inc., a leading Canadian provider of IT consulting services, as well as business and financial solutions for SMBs, is proud to announce that its fundraising campaign, "Voir grand pour l'enfance - Kili 2012", has amassed $140,000 in donations, which greatly exceeds the original goal of $100,000. The campaign hit a high last January 6^th, when a team of climbers set up by ACCEO Solutions reached the summit of Africa's tallest peak, Mount Kilimandjaro.

ACCEO Solutions will give $75,000 to the Centre de pédiatrie sociale de Haute-Gaspésie to support the activities of this growing organization founded in January 2012. The remaining $65,000 will be donated to Fondation du Dr Julien, in support of its social pediatrics programs in Montreal.

The company launched the "Voir grand pour l'enfance - Kili 2012" campaign in 2012 to support the cause of social pediatrics in the community through a variety of fundraising activities. In this first effort, ACCEO Solutions sponsored a team of 15 climbers from different commercial and community sectors, who would raise money by undertaking an ascent of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.

The project was initiated by Doryne Bourque, Vice President, Municipal Solutions at ACCEO Solutions. This highly energetic woman, top level professionnal and accomplished mother had previous experience with this kind of challenge, having participated in the Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles, a Sahara Desert rally, in 2006. Looking to once again direct her passion and energy into a new adventure that could benefit a social cause, Mrs. Bourque launched the Kili 2012 project.

"Everyone on our ascent team made an extraordinary effort to ensure that this demanding project was a success," stated Mrs. Bourque. "Note that all of the participants made it to the summit, despite numerous challenges along the way, but all of our efforts were rewarded once we exceeded our fundraising goal. The project easily rallied so much interest because it would ultimately benefit children living in difficult socio-economic conditions. As a born Gaspésienne, I am particularly happy that this initiative has contributed to the development of the first social pediatrics centre in an at-risk region."

Doryne Bourque received the full support of her employer in this endeavour. In fact, having himself participated in the Guignolée du Dr Julien for many years, Gilles Létourneau, President and CEO of ACCEO Solutions, decided in 2012 to dedicate his organization's philanthropic efforts to promoting the social pediatrics movement in the community. To this end, ACCEO Solutions attributed major resources to "Voir grand pour l'enfance" campaign.

"At ACCEO Solutions, we are very proud of our association with social pediatrics," said Létourneau. "We believe that the business community has an obligation to actively contribute to important causes. I would like to thank our employees, clients and partners for their generous support of this campaign."

Also, Dr. Gilles Julien, President and Founder of Fondation du Dr Julien, praised the example set by ACCEO Solutions. "This organization's commitment clearly demonstrates the crucial role that the business world can play in improving social conditions. Our foundation could never fulfill its mission without the involvement of business and every member of the larger community. Consequently, ACCEO Solutions' commitment and the resources they provide are precious contributions to our foundation."

About ACCEO Solutions

Leading Canadian IT company ACCEO Solutions (formerly GFI Business Solutions) specializes in the design, implementation, integration, and support of management software; e-business development; and payment, professional, and technical services. ACCEO Solutions, which is currently experiencing an active growth phase, boasts nearly 1000 employees, approximately 55 000 clients, and annual revenues of over $100 million. Its most recent acquisitions include Tender Retail, activeMédia Développement, Fortsum Business Solutions, and Bell Business Solutions. These acquisitions have enabled the company to break into new and promising vertical markets and extend its product and service offering to businesses of all sizes and to municipalities and other public service organizations. For more information, please go to www.acceo.com.

About Dr Julien's Mission

Since the founding of the first social pediatrics centre in Montreal in 1997, Dr. Gilles Julien has inspired numerous people to mobilize and establish centres in their own communities. In 2012, the Haute-Gaspésie social pediatrics centre will be the tenth centre to open in Quebec. Through the Fondation du Dr Julien, he works to spread the community social pediatrics model across the country, for the well-being of as many vulnerable children as possible. For more information: www.fondationdrjulien.org/.

You can also visit ACCEO Solutions' website about the Voir grand pour l'enfance program (http://www.ode-tactic.com/voirgrandpourlenfance), as well as the program's Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/#!/Voirgrandpourlenfance?fref=ts).

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