Montreal, May 13, 2025 – Since 1985, the Aléo Foundation has changed the face of Quebec sports. Athletes' journeys have been encouraged, public recognition has given them a sense of prestige, and personalized support has turned them into leaders in our society. It was these 40 years of success that were celebrated at the Auberge Saint-Gabriel on May 13, in front of more than 200 guests, simultaneously launching the "Generations of Impact" fundraising campaign, which looks toward the future.
Impact for Generations
The 40th celebrationse Aléo Foundation's anniversary was the launchpad for the fundraising campaign Impact for Generations. This three-year campaign aims to raise six million dollars. We can already confirm the support of Loto-Québec, the Montreal Canadiens, and Claude Chagnon, who have renewed their partnerships for the coming years. Our prestigious partners Cascades and Beneva are also continuing their support, as they have done for many years. In addition, the Aléo Foundation had the privilege of receiving an exceptional donation of 1 million dollars from an individual philanthropist.
For this campaign, Félix Dolci, gymnast, 2024 Olympian, and scholarship recipient since 2015, has agreed to lend his voice and image as spokesperson. An ambassador of choice, Félix has been supported by the Foundation since a very young age and is a firsthand witness to the impacts of the Aléo Foundation on student-athletes and those around them.
To support Impact for Generations
Since 1985
The history of the Aléo Foundation took shape 40 years ago, when the Fondation du sport universitaire québécois was created, with the objective of keeping the best Quebec university athletes in the province's universities. As spokesperson, none other than two 1984 Olympic gold medalists, Sylvie Bernier and Gaetan Boucher.
In 1995, the Foundation expanded its support by welcoming Olympic sport athletes. After four decades, $25 million has been awarded in grants and services to more than 5,000 student-athletes, all thanks to valuable and loyal financial, service, and media partners. This great success is a team effort with these partners and the athletes' families.
Aléo Research Chair
Since the first recipients of the UQTR hockey team, personalized follow-up has also always accompanied the scholarships offered. These support services were professionalized ten years ago with the arrival of a specialized career counselor, Sophie Brassard, today a Ph.D. in career guidance and associate professor at the Université de Sherbrooke. Then, a new phase was launched in early 2025, when the Aléo Research Chair was created to base all these services on scientific data established in Quebec, for student-athletes here, by our own local researchers.
Impacts
Aléo Foundation recipients shine in our society and their respective environments. Whether through their athletic achievements, like the athletes who are now professionals Mike Matheson, Marie-Philip Poulin or Bennedict Mathurin, in remarkable career paths such as Isabelle Charest, Joannie Rochette or Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, or in their environments, less visibly, but with just as much impact, each and every one of them has become a person of influence.
The work of the Aléo Foundation's team of eight professionals, supported by a committed board of directors, is therefore continuing its mission to open doors even wider for as many student-athletes of excellence as possible to reach their full potential. We all win as a result.
In their own words:
«Since my beginnings as co-spokesperson for the Foundation, I have always believed in its mission: to support local athletes in their dual athletic and academic journeys. This support makes a real difference in their lives by preparing them for their post-athletic careers. Forty years later, I am proud to still be here to celebrate how far we have come and the impact of the Aléo Foundation in Quebec.»
– Sylvie Bernier, first co-spokesperson of the Foundation
«Proud of the 40 years of the Aléo Foundation, the achievements it has accomplished over the years, and its quantitative and qualitative growth, we are now ready to continue building. The fundraising campaign Impact for Generations aims to be a springboard to do even more, always better, and thus offer an ever-greater impact on our society. Student-athletes are an asset for Quebec, through their inspiration, their successes, and their resilience. We want to offer them even more to achieve their goals.»
– Martin Lavigne, president of the Aléo Foundation
«The Aléo Foundation has been part of my life for almost as long as I can remember! Supported when I was very young, it was a helping hand for the whole family. I can say that its unwavering support, through the good times and the bad, its recognition, its services, and its caring team, have helped make me an Olympian in Paris in the summer of 2024, while still active in university. I am extremely grateful for this.»
– Félix Dolci, gymnast, 2024 Olympian, scholarship holder since 2015, and spokesperson for the Generations Impact fundraising campaign
About the Aléo Foundation The Aléo Foundation's mission is to maximize the full potential of as many outstanding student-athletes as possible, from all backgrounds, to generate significant and lasting impact. Established in 1985, it has awarded over $25 million in scholarships to more than 5,000 student-athletes from across Quebec. In addition to these scholarships, there is an essential component of lifelong services provided to all recipients during and after their athletic and academic journeys. To support these mentoring services, the Aléo Research Chair is now a vector of scientific results available to the entire sports community here.
The fundraising campaign Impact for Generations aims to raise six million dollars in three years to move closer to our grand vision: that student-athletes of excellence enrich society through their current and future leadership, both through their exceptional contributions and the inspiring examples they embody.
To support Impact for Generations
For more information: fondationaleo.ca
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Annie Dubé
Director of Communications and Marketing
Aléo Foundation
438-884-6626
annie.dube@fondationaleo.ca
