Montreal, March 19, 2025 – The Aléo Foundation is proud to celebrate its long-standing partnership with the National Bank, which hosted the 33rd edition of the National Bank Scholarship Program on Wednesday, awarding a total value of $100,000 $ in scholarships and services to 22 recipients from 18 different sports.
Gathered at the brand-new National Bank head office, scholarship recipients not only received a check but also lifelong access to services deployed by the Aléo Foundation. Indeed, all student-athletes supported by the Foundation, from their very first scholarship, become lifelong members of the Aléo family, thus gaining access to career counseling, mentorship, career transition support, communications services, and many others, during their athletic careers, but also after and forever.
In the presence of Patrick Charlebois, Senior Wealth Management Advisor and Portfolio Manager at National Bank, and an ultra-marathoner, the members of the 2025 cohort were introduced individually, highlighting their athletic accomplishments as well as their academic achievements.
Among more than 425 student-athletes supported by National Bank during its long partnership with the Aléo Foundation, several have particularly distinguished themselves on the international stage, notably Mikaël Kingsbury, three-time Olympic medalist and multiple world champion, several Olympic medalists, including Jennifer Abel, Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard and Marianne St-Gelais, The great tennis player Félix Auger-Aliassime, the cyclist, a winner of a Tour de France stage among other things Hugo Houle and many more.
In their own words:
«The National Bank, an extremely important partner for the Aléo Foundation for over three decades, has enabled hundreds of student-athletes, who are today exceptional citizens working in all spheres of our society, to be supported. This significant support has allowed the Aléo Foundation to go further, to develop as an organization, to innovate, and to make a big difference in the world of Quebec sports.»
– Martin Lavigne, President of the Aléo Foundation
«In this 33e With its scholarship program now in its 10th edition, the National Bank is proud to support student-athletes from all regions of Quebec and celebrate their achievements. It is a pleasure for us to support them, once again this year, in their quest for fulfillment and well-being in their performance.»
– Patrick Charlebois, Senior Wealth Management Advisor and Portfolio Manager, National Bank
National Bank Scholarship Program Recipients 2025
| Name | Discipline | Age | Amount | City | Region | School |
| Noémie Beaulieu | Triathlon | 21 | 4000 $ | Gatineau | Outaouais | Laval University |
| Lesley Bruneau | BMX | 18 | 4000 $ | La Tuque | Mauricie | Laflèche College |
| Cristella Brunetti-Burns | Artistic gymnastics | 17 | 4000 $ | Kirkland | Montreal | John Rennie High School |
| Jérémy Chartier | Trampoline | 23 | 4000 $ | Montreal (Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie) | Montreal | University of Montreal |
| Alexia Chevrier | Softball | 18 | 4000 $ | Saint-Lazare | Montérégie | Jefferson College |
| Jean-Nicolas De Broeck | Biathlon | 19 | 4000 $ | Gatineau (Aylmer) | Outaouais | Outaouais College |
| Mirka Delaney | Tennis | 15 | 2000 $ | Beaconsfield | Montreal | College of Montreal |
| Olivier Desrosiers | Fencing (sabre) | 20 | 4000 $ | Rosemère | Laurentians | University of Montreal |
| Julien Frascadore | Judo (66 kg) | 25 | 4000 $ | Quebec (Beauport) | Capital National | University of Montreal |
| Jérôme Gauthier | Road cycling | 20 | 4000 $ | Amos | Abitibi-Témiscamingue | Abitibi-Témiscamingue College |
| Alisson Gobeil | Paranatation | 20 | 4000 $ | Soul | Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean | Wilbrod-Dufour Pavilion |
| Jerry Han | Tennis | 17 | 2000 $ | Westmount | Montreal | Selwyn House School |
| Étienne Jolicoeur | Weightlifting (67 kg) | 18 | 2000 $ | Lachute | Laurentians | University of Ottawa |
| Cassandra Lefebvre | Artistic swimming | 17 | 2000 $ | Beaconsfield | Montreal | Vanier College |
| Tristan Lemire | Downhill mountain bike | 20 | 4000 $ | Bromont | Estrie | Cégep Édouard-Montpetit |
| Simeon Martin | Table tennis | 19 | 4000 $ | Montreal (Le Plateau-Mont-Royal) | Montreal | TÉLUQ University |
| Felix Mercier-Ross | Judo (73 kg) | 20 | 4000 $ | Montreal (Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie) | Montreal | Concordia University |
| Léa Morin | Karate (kata) | 22 | 4000 $ | Sherbrooke (Saint-Élie) | Estrie | University of Montreal |
| Lily Plante | Track and Road Cycling | 23 | 4000 $ | Sutton | Estrie | Laval University |
| Babette Roy | Escalade | 23 | 4000 $ | Montreal (Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie) | Montreal | University of Quebec at Montreal |
| Victor Roy-Lafrance | Short track speed skating | 21 | 4000 $ | Boucherville | Montérégie | Polytechnique Montréal |
| Roxane Vermette | Mountain bike | 24 | 4000 $ | Saint-Ferréol-les-Neiges | Capital National | Laval University |
About the National Bank of Canada
With assets of $484 billion as of January 31, 2025, the National Bank of Canada is one of six systemically important banks in Canada. The Bank has approximately 30,000 employees in knowledge-intensive roles and operates in three sectors in Canada: Personal and Commercial Banking, Wealth Management, and Financial Markets. A fourth sector, Specialized Financing in the U.S. and International, complements the growth of its domestic operations. Its shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: NA). Follow its activities at bnc.ca or through social media.
About the Aléo Foundation
Founded in 1985, the Fondation de l’athlète d’excellence (FAEQ) has awarded over $25 million in scholarships to nearly 5,000 outstanding student-athletes from across Quebec. To clarify the organization's mission to empower athletes beyond their sport, the FAEQ changed its name and branding in 2022, now known as the Fondation Aléo. In addition to continuing its scholarship and support services for tomorrow's leaders, it reaffirms its personalized approach, focusing on the overall development and well-being within the performance of its scholarship recipients.
For more information: fondationaleo.ca as well as the Aléo Foundation's official pages on our platforms:
LinkedIn
Facebook
Instagram
YouTube
Spotify
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Annie Dubé
Director of Communications and Marketing
Aléo Foundation
438-884-6626
annie.dube@fondationaleo.ca
Alexandre Guay
Senior Advisor, Public Affairs
National Bank of Canada
514-412-5125
alexandre.guay@bnc.ca
Aléo Foundation and National Bank Bursary Program: It pays to invest in student athletes!
Montreal, March 19, 2025 – The Aléo Foundation is proud to celebrate its long-standing partnership with National Bank, which hosted the 33rd edition of the National Bank Bursary Program on Wednesday. This year, a total of $$100,000 in bursaries and services was awarded to 22 recipients from 18 different sports.
At a ceremony held at National Bank’s brand-new head office, bursary recipients were given not only a cheque but also lifelong access to the services provided by the Aléo Foundation. Upon receiving their first bursary, student athletes become lifelong members of the Aléo family. This grants them access to guidance, mentoring, career transition support, communications services, and many other benefits, both during and after their athletic careers.
In the presence of Patrick Charlebois, Senior Wealth Advisor and Portfolio Manager at National Bank, who is also an ultramarathoner, the 2025 bursary recipients were presented individually and commended for their athletic and academic achievements.
Among the more than 425 student athletes supported by National Bank during its long partnership with the Aléo Foundation, many have achieved impressive international success. Notable examples include a three-time Olympic medalist and winner of multiple world championships Mikaël Kingsbury, Olympic medalists Jennifer Abel, Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard and Marianne St-Gelais, tennis star Félix Auger-Aliassime y ciclista Hugo Houle, whose achievements include winning a stage of the Tour de France.
In their own words:
“For over three decades, National Bank has been an extremely important partner to the Aléo Foundation, supporting hundreds of student athletes who have become exceptional citizens contributing to all sectors of our society. This substantial support has allowed the Aléo Foundation to advance, develop as an organization, innovate, and make a significant impact on sports in Quebec.”
– Martin Lavigne, President of the Aléo Foundation
“With the 33rd edition of its bursary program, National Bank is proud to support student athletes from all over Quebec and celebrate their achievements. Once again this year, we are delighted to support these athletes in their pursuit of fulfillment and wellbeing in performance.”
– Patrick Charlebois, Senior Wealth Advisor and Portfolio Manager at National Bank
2025 National Bank Bursary Program Recipients
| Name | Discipline | Age | Amount | City | Region | School |
| Noémie Beaulieu | Triathlon | 21 | $4,000 | Gatineau | Outaouais | Laval University |
| Lesley Bruneau | BMX | 18 | $4,000 | La Tuque | Mauricie | Laflèche College |
| Cristella Brunetti-Burns | Artistic gymnastics | 17 | $4,000 | Kirkland | Montreal | John Rennie High School |
| Jérémy Chartier | Trampoline | 23 | $4,000 | Montreal (Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie) | Montreal | University of Montreal |
| Alexia Chevrier | Softball | 18 | $4,000 | Saint-Lazare | Montérégie | Jefferson College |
| Jean-Nicolas De Broeck | Biathlon | 19 | $4,000 | Gatineau (Aylmer) | Outaouais | Outaouais College |
| Mirka Delaney | Tennis | 15 | $2,000 | Beaconsfield | Montreal | College of Montreal |
| Olivier Desrosiers | Fencing (sabre) | 20 | $4,000 | Rosemère | Laurentians | University of Montreal |
| Julien Frascadore | Judo (66kg) | 25 | $4,000 | Quebec (Beauport) | Capital National | University of Montreal |
| Jérôme Gauthier | Road cycling | 20 | $4,000 | Amos | Abitibi-Témiscamingue | Abitibi-Témiscamingue College |
| Alisson Gobeil | Para-swimming | 20 | $4,000 | Soul | Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean | Wilbrod-Dufour Pavilion |
| Jerry Han | Tennis | 17 | $2,000 | Westmount | Montreal | Selwyn House School |
| Étienne Jolicoeur | Weightlifting (67kg) | 18 | $2,000 | Lachute | Laurentians | University of Ottawa |
| Cassandra Lefebvre | Artistic swimming | 17 | $2,000 | Beaconsfield | Montreal | Vanier College |
| Tristan Lemire | Mountain biking (downhill) | 20 | $4,000 | Bromont | Estrie | Cégep Édouard-Montpetit |
| Simeon Martin | Table tennis | 19 | $4,000 | Montreal (Le Plateau-Mont-Royal) | Montreal | TÉLUQ University |
| Felix Mercier-Ross | Judo (73kg) | 20 | $4,000 | Montreal (Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie) | Montreal | Concordia University |
| Léa Morin | Karate (kata) | 22 | $4,000 | Sherbrooke (Saint-Élie) | Estrie | University of Montreal |
| Lily Plante | Track and road cycling | 23 | $4,000 | Sutton | Estrie | Laval University |
| Babette Roy | Climbing | 23 | $4,000 | Montreal (Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie) | Montreal | University of Quebec at Montreal |
| Victor Roy-Lafrance | Short-track speed skating | 21 | $4,000 | Boucherville | Montérégie | Polytechnique Montréal |
| Roxane Vermette | Mountain biking | 24 | $4,000 | Saint-Ferréol-les-Neiges | Capital National | Laval University |
The National Bank of Canada is a financial institution that offers a wide range of banking and financial services to individuals, businesses, and institutions. It is one of Canada's largest banks and has a significant presence across the country.
With $484 billion in assets as at January 31, 2025, National Bank of Canada is one of Canada's six systemically important banks. The Bank has approximately 30,000 employees in knowledge-intensive positions and operates through three business segments in Canada: Personal and Commercial Banking, Wealth Management, and Financial Markets. A fourth segment, U.S. Specialty Finance and International, complements the growth of its domestic operations. Its securities are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: NA). Follow the Bank’s activities at nbc.ca or via social media.
About the Aléo Foundation
Created in 1985, the Fondation de l’athlète d’excellence (FAEQ) has awarded more than $$25 million in bursaries to nearly 5,000 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. It continues to provide bursaries and support services to the leaders of tomorrow and aspires to offer a personalized approach focused on the overall development and wellbeing of its bursary recipients.
For more information, visit fondationaleo.ca and the Aléo Foundation's official social media pages on:
LinkedIn
Facebook
Instagram
YouTube
Spotify
– 30 –
Annie Dubé
Communications and Marketing Director
Aleo Foundation
438-884-6626
annie.dube@fondationaleo.ca
Alexandre Guay
Senior Advisor – Public Affairs
National Bank of Canada
514-412-5125
alexandre.guay@nbc.ca
