Aléo Foundation and Beneva Distribute $82,000 in Bursaries and Renew Partnership
Montréal, Thursday, May 11, 2023 – This year, at the 14th edition of the Beneva Bursary Program, the Aléo Foundation and Beneva will award a total of $82,000 to 23 student-athletes. The country’s largest mutual insurance company has also committed to pursuing its partnership with Aléo in 2024 and 2025, with a contribution of $200,000.
Originally called the La Capitale Bursary Program, the Beneva Bursary Program has been in existence since 2010. It was renamed when La Capitale and SSQ Insurance merged to become Beneva in 2020.
Many of the program’s bursary recipients have gone on to achieve international recognition. They include freestyle skier Olivia Asselin, short-track speed skater Kim Boutin, freestyle skier Émile Nadeau and cross-country skier Katherine Stewart-Jones, all of whom participated in the Beijing Olympic Games in the winter of 2022.
Seven bursary recipients also took part in the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games in the summer of 2021: sprint kayaker Andréanne Langlois, water polo player Élyse Lemay-Lavoie, wheelchair basketball player Cindy Ouellet, swimmer Katherine Savard, fencer Maximilien Van Haaster, sprint canoer Laurence Vincent-Lapointe and diver Nathan Zsombor-Murray.
For 2023, Beneva has renewed its support of 23 student-athletes, including eight new recipients, with bursaries ranging in value from $2,000 to $4,000 each.
In their own words:
“Year after year, our partnership with the Aléo Foundation reminds us of the importance of adopting healthy lifestyle habits, which are essential to the physical and psychological health of individuals and the well-being of communities. Our bursary recipients are excellent examples of this. We are therefore always proud to support them, especially in view of the inspiration they provide to the public.”
- Jean-François Chalifoux, President and Chief Executive Officer, Beneva
“Student-athletes are indeed great role models for their peers, as well as for the population of Quebec as a whole. The balance between education and sport, which is facilitated by the support of major partners such as Beneva, is of paramount importance to the Aléo Foundation. Achieving this balance allows the recipients to reach new heights, both athletically and academically.”
- Martin Lavigne, President, Aléo Foundation
New name, new image, same mission!
The Foundation for Athletic Excellence (FAEQ) has a new name and a new brand image: ALÉO – Elevating Athletes Beyond Sport. The change aims to further highlight the organization’s personalized approach, where the overall development and well-being of its bursary recipients are at the heart of its activities
Recipients of the 2023 Beneva Bursary Program
| Name | Sport | Age | Amount | City | School |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mohamed Auda | Handball | 22 | $4,000 | Montréal (Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension) | Université de Montréal |
| Victor Baudrand | Climbing | 20 | $4,000 | Quebec (Sainte-Foy–Sillery–Cap-Rouge) | Bishop's University |
| Tristan Bell | Snowboarding (snowboard cross) | 20 | $4,000 | Gatineau (Aylmer) | Cégep (distance learning) |
| Jeanne Boilard | Artistic swimming | 18 | $4,000 | Quebec (La Cité-Limoilou) | Cégep (distance learning) |
| Alexandre Bourque | Cross-country skiing | 19 | $4,000 | Saint-Basile-le-Grand | Cégep du Vieux Montréal |
| Isabelle Caza | Biathlon | 18 | $2,000 | Chelsea | Cégep de l’Outaouais |
| Victoriane Charron | Artistic gymnastics | 15 | $4,000 | Mont-Saint-Hilaire | De Mortagne Secondary School |
| Samuel Darveau | Short-track speed skating | 19 | $2,000 | Sainte-Julie | Cégep Édouard-Montpetit |
| Laurie Denommée | Artistic gymnastics | 22 | $4,000 | Laval | Université de Montréal |
| Joey Dubuc | Freestyle skiing (moguls) | 19 | $4,000 | Saint-Urbain-Premier | Cégep Édouard-Montpetit |
| Thierry Ferland | Figure skating (pairs) | 25 | $4,000 | Lévis (Saint-Jean-Chrysostome) | Laval University |
| Leo Grandbois | Cross-country skiing | 23 | $4,000 | Sherbrooke (Lennoxville) | Cégep (distance learning) |
| Émilie Greenfield | Long-track speed skating | 18 | $2,000 | Quebec (Sainte-Foy–Sillery–Cap-Rouge) | Cégep (distance learning) |
| Florence Hamel | Canoe/kayak sprint | 17 | $2,000 | Kirkland | Collège Sainte-Anne |
| Simone Huang | Badminton | 16 | $4,000 | Laval | Collège Regina Assumpta |
| Amélie-Laura Jasmin | Diving | 19 | $4,000 | Montréal (Saint-Laurent) | Collège André-Grasset |
| Edward Ly | Table tennis | 20 | $4,000 | Montréal (Lachine) | Cégep André-Laurendeau |
| Hubert Marcotte | Long-track speed skating | 22 | $4,000 | Quebec (Sainte-Foy–Sillery–Cap-Rouge) | Laval University |
| Lori-Ann Matte | Figure skating (pairs) | 23 | $4,000 | Lévis (Saint-Rédempteur) | TÉLUQ University |
| Émile Nadeau | Freestyle skiing (aerials) | 19 | $4,000 | Prévost | Cégep Limoilou |
| Marie-Grace Talle Makoudoum | Basketball | 16 | $2,000 | Terrebonne | Félix-Leclerc Secondary School |
| Nathan Yvars | Artistic gymnastics | 21 | $4,000 | Sainte-Julie | Université de Montréal |
| Nathan Zsombor-Murray | Diving | 20 | $4,000 | Pointe-Claire | Vanier College |
About Beneva
Created by the coming together of La Capitale and SSQ Insurance, Beneva is the largest insurance mutual in Canada with more than 3.5 million members and customers. Beneva employs over 5,000 dedicated employees: people looking out for people. Its human approach is rooted in mutualist values that are shared by its employees. With $25.1 billion in assets, Beneva positions itself as a major player in the insurance and financial services industry. Its head office is located in Quebec City.
Policyholders of contracts issued by an insurance company of Beneva Group Inc. are members of SSQ Mutual and La Capitale Civil Service Mutual.
About the Aléo Foundation
Created in 1985, the Foundation for Athletic Excellence (FAEQ) has awarded more than $20 million in bursaries to nearly 4,000 student-athletes from all over Quebec. In order to better reflect the organization’s mission of elevating athletes beyond sport, the FAEQ changed its name and brand image in 2022, becoming the Aléo Foundation. In addition to continuing to provide bursaries and guidance services to the leaders of tomorrow, it maintains its personalized approach, where the overall development and well-being of its bursary recipients are at the heart of its activities.
For more information, visit fondationaleo.ca (This hyperlink will open in a new tab). or the Aléo Foundation’s social media pages:
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For interview requests or other information, please contact Josée Robitaille at [email protected].
For more information:
Patricia Demers
Executive Director
Fondation Aléo
514 252-3171, poste 3728
[email protected]
Media Relations
Beneva
1 866 332-3806
[email protected]