An early contributor to the creation and development of Cirque du Soleil from 1984 to 1998, Hélène Dufresne has been president of Fondation Dufresne et Gauthier since its creation in 2001. The foundation supports around 75 organizations in the Montreal, Quebec City and Charlevoix regions, and around 10 in Mongolia. After adopting her children from Mongolia, she represented that country as its honorary consul in Quebec from 2003 to 2010.

Her approach is marked by a constant concern for fairness, openness and sharing. A number of community and cultural projects benefit from her support, particularly Horizon Charlevoix (since 2011), which supports and promotes youth participation in outdoor sports in the Charlevoix region, and Culture Pour Tous (2014-2015). Since 2014, she has served on the board of directors of Équiterre and as chair of the board since 2015, commitments that require action, continuity and patience.